TRANSPORT

Bus Services: Concessions

Graham Allen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many  (a) over-60 year olds and  (b) disabled people in Nottingham North constituency made use of free off-peak bus travel in the latest period for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport does not maintain records of how many people in local authorities are in receipt of a concessionary bus pass as concessionary travel is administered locally by travel concession authorities (TCAs).
	The last information held by the Department was that as of 17 April 2009, 69,597 of the new smartcard concessionary passes had been issued in Nottingham. This includes applications from disabled people as well as those aged 60 and over.

Departmental Art Works

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department spent money on art works in the last 12 months.

Chris Mole: During the last 12 months the Department spent £1,804 on art works and associated equipment. A list of acquisitions has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	Other works of art displayed in the Department for Transport London HQ buildings are from the Government Art Collection (GAC), which publishes an annual list of acquisitions.
	Information in respect of the Highways Agency can be provided only at disproportionate cost as it would require a full review of all claims and invoices. However, the Highways Agency have advised that they would not normally approve the spend of their funds on the procurement of works of art.
	No works of art have been purchased by the other six Department for Transport Executive agencies during the last 12 months.

Departmental Billing

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many and what proportion of invoices submitted to his Department have been paid within 10 days in each month since October 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: Information on the proportion of invoices paid within 10 days of receipt for the Department for Transport and its Agencies is only available from January 2009 as set out in the following table. Figures from January 2009 to May 2009 exclude Vehicle Certification Agency invoices.
	
		
			   Invoices paid  Invoices paid within 10 days  Percentage paid within 10 days 
			 January 2009 17,569 10,750 61.19 
			 February 2009 17,248 11,283 65.42 
			 March 2009 19,308 12,947 67.06 
			 April 2009 22,302 12,685 56.88 
			 May 2009 14,932 11,994 80.32 
			 June 2009 18,490 15,313 82.82 
			 July 2009 17,733 14,304 80.66 
			 August 2009 16,431 14,379 87.51 
			 September 2009 20,406 18,571 91.01 
			 October 2009 21,306 19,813 92.99 
			 November 2009 21,652 20,276 93.64 
		
	
	Current data on prompt payment are regularly updated on DfT website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/procurement/dft/tenday2-091210.pdf

Departmental Telephone Services

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many telephone lines with the prefix  (a) 0870,  (b) 0845 and  (c) 0800 his Department (i) operates and (ii) sponsors; how many calls were received to each number in the last 12 months; and whether alternative numbers charged at the BT local rate are available in each case.

Chris Mole: The details for the Department of Transport and its Agencies are as follows: (all lines listed are operated, none are sponsored).
	
		
			   Number of lines operated  Calls received from November 2008 to October 2009  Alternative BT numbers  Comments 
			 DfT(Cent) 0 - - - 
			  
			 DVLA 0800 032 5202 111,723 See comments 0870 numbers not used since 1 September 2009 and have been replaced by 0300 numbers which are not for profit public sector numbers, and charged at standard geographic rate. Figures included as calls made within the last 12 months. 
			  0845 606 0160 21,021   
			  0870 240 0009 5,154,664   
			  0870 240 0010 7,015,395   
			  0870 660 0301 648,829   
			  0870 241 1879 93,618   
			  0870 608 0604 595,848   
			  0870 850 0007 106,930   
			  0870 850 0964 79,821   
			  0870 850 1074 164,505   
			  0870 850 2963 27,124   
			  0870 850 3368 357,290   
			  0870 850 4444 9,115,222   
			  0845 602 2006 190   
			  
			 HA 0845 750 4030 164,861 Yes 0845 750 4030 and 0870 122 6236 will shortly be changing to 0300 not for profit public sector numbers. 
			  0845 955 6575 39,304 Yes  
			  0800 092 2325 2,485 No  
			  0845 300 2330 2,426 No  
			  0845 300 2331 1,632 No  
			  0870 122 6236 4,484 No  
			  0800 018 6969 Not available No  
			  
			 VOSA 0870 010 2067 8,372 No Call volume figures only available from July 2009 onwards. 
			  0870 6060 440 597,243 Yes  
			  0845 600 5977 4,780 No (0845 number is standard rate)  
			  0800 030 4103 5,102 No (0800 number is Freephone)  
			  
			 DSA 0 - - Only use 0300 numbers 
			 MCA 1 2,704 Yes Operates on a non-revenue basis at national rate. 
			 VCA 0 - - Do have one 0844 number which will shortly move to 0300. 
			 GCDA 1 440 No - 
		
	
	Departmental policy is to now use 0300 numbers wherever possible.

Driving: Young People

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent educational programmes his Department has developed which are directed at young drivers; what steps his Department is taking to encourage the wearing of seat belts by young persons; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The THINK! road safety campaigns target all drivers including young drivers on topics such as driving under the influence of alcohol, drug driving, speeding, motorcycle awareness, seat belt wearing and mobile phone use.
	A new seat belt campaign was launched in November 2008, designed to warn drivers and their passengers that without a seat belt they can be killed even at low speeds on short local journeys.
	This followed research showing that people are least likely to wear a seat belt in these situations as they believe that they can either brace themselves or be saved by an airbag. The campaign ran on TV, radio, posters, petrol pumps, car park barriers and Youtube. It will be repeated between 1 and 28 February 2010 in the same media excluding Youtube.

Floods: Finance

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much of the £23 million committed to Gloucestershire county council, Sheffield city council, North Lincolnshire council, East Riding of Yorkshire council, Barnsley metropolitan borough council, West Berkshire council, Shropshire county council and Rotherham metropolitan borough council following the 2007 floods to repair roads and bridges has been  (a) paid to and  (b) spent by those authorities.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport's policy in respect of its emergency capital highway maintenance funding for the 2007 floods, was to settle claims on an interim and final estimated cost basis. This allowed authorities to expedite their planned programme of repairs.
	The funding transferred is set out as follows.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Funding allocations made 
			  Authority  March 2008  July 2008  December 2008 
			 Gloucestershire county council 10.048 6.500 0 
			 Sheffield city council 9.033 0 0 
			 North Lincolnshire council 1.497 0 0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire council 1.087 5.042 0 
			 Barnsley metropolitan borough council 0.874 1.315 0 
			 West Berkshire council 0.580 0.144 0 
			 Shropshire county council 0.152 1.019 0 
			 Rotherham metropolitan borough council 0.102 0.173 0 
			 Worcestershire county council 0 2.312 0 
			 Kingston upon Hull city council 0 0 0.665 
			 Total 23.373 16.504 0.665 
		
	
	Details of expenditure by local authorities on the maintenance of their highways are not held centrally. Expenditure by local authorities is held in their individual accounts which are independently audited.

Great Western Railway

Don Touhig: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when the Secretary of State was informed that Network Rail intended to close the Great Western Main Line at Newport, South Wales for major engineering work over a 10 day period from 24 December 2009; and what  (a) incentives and  (b) sanctions are in place to encourage Network Rail to complete the proposed work on time.

Chris Mole: Network Rail gave public notice of the planned engineering work at Newport on 13 November 2009. As is normal practice, no special notice was given to the Secretary of State for Transport in advance of this.
	The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is responsible for ensuring that Network Rail complies with its network licence. Significant engineering over-runs can constitute a breach of the licence. If this occurs, the ORR can impose a fine upon Network Rail, as happened following the over-runs in January 2008.

Great Western Railway

Don Touhig: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  if he will estimate the amount of time that will be added to journey times for those travelling westwards to  (a) Newport,  (b) Cardiff and  (c) Swansea as a result of the closure of the Great Western Mainline at Newport, South Wales from 24 December 2009;
	(2)  what discussions have taken place between his Department and Network Rail on reducing inconvenience to passengers caused by the temporary closure of the Great Western Main Line at Newport, South Wales;
	(3)  what discussions have taken place between his Department and Network Rail on the timeframe for the proposed engineering work intended to start on 24 December 2009 on the Great Western Main Line at Newport, South Wales.

Chris Mole: The planning, timing, and duration of engineering works are operational matters for Network Rail under the industry-wide national possessions regime overseen by the independent Office of Rail Regulation. This regime incentivises Network Rail to plan the timings of possessions as early as possible to minimise the impact on passenger and freight train operators' services.
	Ministers and officials have received feedback from Network Rail on the duration, scope and benefits of the major track renewal, re-signalling and station upgrade projects in the Newport and Severn tunnel junction areas over the Christmas and new year period. Network Rail informed Ministers that they had considered alternative ways of carrying out the work, but that the scheme implemented minimised overall disruption to the travelling public.
	Ministers emphasised to Network Rail the importance of completing the work on time to enable the smooth re-introduction of services on 4 January 2010 and I understand that this was the case.
	I am due to visit the site of the works on 7 January 2010.
	My hon. Friend should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for a more detailed response to his questions:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	Kings Place
	90 York Way
	London, N1 9AG.

Immobilisation of Vehicles

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department and its predecessor have paid in vehicle clamping charges incurred on  (a) privately-owned and  (b) publicly-owned land in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport and its agencies maintain the policy that parking fines, including clamping charges, remain the responsibility of the individual, and are not reimbursed from public resources.

Kemble-Swindon Railway Line

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport by what date he anticipates the completion of the doubling of the railway line between Swindon and Kemble.

Chris Mole: Officials at the Department for Transport are currently in negotiation with Network Rail to determine an acceptable price for this work, along with timescales for construction. We hope to be in a position to give further information on the matter in the near future.

M6: Closures

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the reasons were for the closure of the M6 motorway between junctions 33 and 34 on the night of Thursday 26 November 2009; and between what times it was closed.

Chris Mole: On Thursday 26 November 2009, the northbound carriageway of the M6 motorway between junctions 33 and 34, was closed by the Highways Agency from 8pm until 3.30am on 27 November, in order to replace the worn-out road surface.

Parking Offences: CCTV

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which local authorities have applied for certification to use CCTV equipment for civil parking enforcement; and which applications have been  (a) approved and  (b) refused.

Sadiq Khan: A list of authorities whose equipment has been certified is maintained on the Department's website. The current list is reproduced as follows.
	
		
			  Applicant  Certification granted 
			 Medway Council 4 June 2008 
			 Nottingham City Council 12 June 2008 
			 London Borough of Hounslow 13 August 2008 
			 London Borough of Redbridge 4 September 2008 
			 London Borough of Ealing 11 September 2008 
			 London Borough of Lambeth 21 January 2009 
			 London Borough of Islington 21 January 2009 
			 London Borough of Lewisham 20 February 2009 
			 Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council 23 February 2009 
			 London Borough of Havering 26 February 2009 
			 London Borough of Harrow 16 March 2009 
			 London Borough of Richmond upon Thames 20 March 2009 
			 London Borough of Hillingdon 20 March 2009 
			 London Borough of Croydon 20 March 2009 
			 London Borough of Haringey 27 March 2009 
			 London Borough of Newham 30 March 2009 
			 London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 30 March 2009 
			 London Borough of Hackney 30 March 2009 
			 Transport for London 30 March 2009 
			 London Borough of Camden 30 March 2009 
			 London Borough of Bromley 30 March 2009 
			 London Borough of Bexley 30 March 2009 
			 City of London 30 March 2009 
			 London Borough of Southwark 31 March 2009 
			 London Borough of Waltham Forest 31 March 2009 
			 London Borough of Tower Hamlets 3 April 2009 
			 London Borough of Barking & Dagenham 6 April 2009 
			 London Borough of Enfield 6 April 2009 
			 London Borough of Wandsworth 14 April 2009 
			 South Tyneside Council 18 May 2009 
			 Bournemouth Borough Council 9 June 2009 
			 Basildon District Council 7 July 2009 
			 Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council 21 September 2009 
			 Bristol City Council 20 November 2009 
		
	
	In addition, applications have been received, and are being considered, from the following authorities: Gateshead council, Merton council, and Westminster city council.

Parking Offences: CCTV

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  whether his Department issues guidance to  (a) local authorities and  (b) police forces on the use of closed circuit television for the purposes of parking enforcement;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the use of closed circuit television for the purposes of municipal parking enforcement.

Sadiq Khan: Advice on the use of closed circuit television by local traffic authorities enforcing parking under the Traffic Management Act 2004 is contained in section 8 of "The Secretary of State's Statutory Guidance to Local Authorities on the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions" and in section 8 of the Department's "Operational Guidance to Local Authorities: Parking Policy and Enforcement". Both are available on the Department for Transport's website and I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	In summary, the guidance says that such equipment should be used only where enforcement is difficult or sensitive and enforcement by on-street officers is not practical-for example where permits or exemptions not readily visible to the equipment apply.
	Enforcement in areas where parking remains a criminal offence does not come within the Department's remit and so we have not issued any comparable guidance to the police.

Parking Offences: Fines

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to the answer to Lord Lucas of 5 October 2009,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column 429WA, on parking fines, if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) application by Westminster city council for certification and  (b) the letter of refusal by his Department.

Sadiq Khan: The information from Westminster council, provided in support of its application for certification of CCTV equipment used for the civil enforcement of parking contraventions, remains under active development and ongoing consideration. It is therefore not appropriate to release the application. There has not been any letter of refusal.

Railways: Exhaust Emissions

Clive Betts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will estimate the likely reduction in greenhouse gas emissions which would result from the  (a) electrification of railway lines and  (b) the construction of tram lines by 2020.

Chris Mole: Rail currently emits about 1.8 million tonnes of carbon dioxide directly from diesel consumption and is indirectly responsible for about 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide produced by the electricity generating sector. Electrifying the rail network by 2020 would remove carbon emissions associated with diesel consumption but increase emissions from power stations. The net effect would be a reduction in 2020 in rail related emissions of about 1.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.
	The impact of new light rail schemes on carbon dioxide emissions will vary by the size and location of the system and how effective it is in encouraging people to switch from other modes particularly car. A reduction in carbon emissions as a result of a new light rail scheme is possible providing sufficient passengers are attracted from other modes. Light rail extensions in Manchester and Nottingham are under construction or being considered for funding by the Department for Transport. Forecasts from the scheme promoters suggest that in total these extensions will save around 3,000 tonnes of carbon per annum.

Railways: Finance

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he expects the review of value for money in the rail sector announced in the 2009 pre-Budget report to be concluded.

Chris Mole: The first phase of the review will be a scoping study, which is expected to report at the end of March 2010. We will announce the timetable for the rest of the work in due course.

Railways: Finance

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what plans his Department has to consult trade unions in its review of value for money in the rail sector announced in the 2009 pre-Budget report.

Chris Mole: The full scope of the review, including the list of stakeholders to be consulted is yet to be determined. The study's terms of reference are on the Department for Transport's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/strategyfinance/valueformoney

Railways: Finance

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to his Department's review of value for money in the rail sector announced in the 2009 pre-Budget report, with which other countries the UK rail system will be benchmarked as part of that review.

Chris Mole: The review is currently at a very early stage and the list of countries that will be used for benchmarking purposes has not yet been established.

Railways: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which stakeholders he plans to consult during his review into improving value for money in the rail sector announced in the 2009 pre-Budget report.

Chris Mole: The full scope of the review, including the list of stakeholders to be consulted is yet to be determined. The study's terms of reference are on the Department for Transport's website:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/strategyfinance/valueformoney

Railways: Finance

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which stakeholders he plans to consult as part of his consideration of funding and spending priorities for the control period 2009-14.

Chris Mole: In the development of the rail High Level Output Specification, published on 24 July 2007 and covering the control period 2009 to 2014, the Department for Transport consulted with the Association of Train Operating Companies, Transport for London, Network Rail, the devolved administrations, Passenger Transport Executives, the Office of Rail Regulation and Passenger Focus. Further consultation took place with a wide list of stakeholders, including, but not limited to, the Confederation of British Industry, the Rail Freight Operators Association, the Rail Freight Group, London Travelwatch and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.

Railways: Franchises

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether the subject of public ownership and operation of rail franchises will be considered in the review into improving value for money in the rail sector announced in the pre-Budget report.

Chris Mole: The terms of reference for the study into improving the value for money of the railway have now been published on the Department for Transport's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/strategyfinance/valueformoney
	Alongside this, the Department is also carrying out a review of the current franchising model in readiness for the retendering of the East Coast, Greater Anglia and Essex Thameside franchises during 2010.
	However, the Government believe that a 'publicly specified privately delivered' model for passenger rail services is the most appropriate model, and believe that this model has delivered significant improvements for passengers over the last 10 years, including record reliability and customer satisfaction scores.

Railways: Franchises

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what costs have been incurred by  (a) the Government and  (b) the Strategic Rail Authority in designing and tendering rail franchises since 1996.

Chris Mole: The costs incurred by the Department for Transport in designing and tendering rail franchises from 2005-09 is £33.8 million, while the equivalent costs for the Strategic Rail Authority from 2003-05 is £42.4 million.
	The letting of franchises since 1996 has been undertaken by a number of successive agencies, namely the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising, the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority, the Strategic Rail Authority and since mid-2005, the Department for Transport. Re-franchising costs prior to 2003 were part of general business costs and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Railways: Franchises

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much public subsidy has been allocated in respect of each railway franchise since 1997; and to which company in each such case.

Chris Mole: Details of public subsidy paid to each rail franchise is published annually by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) in National Rail Trends (NRT). Copies of NRT are available in the Library of the House and on the ORR's website at
	www.rail-reg.gov.uk

Railways: Glasgow

Katy Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many passenger journeys on direct London to Glasgow rail services were made in the last 10 years.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport does not hold data on passenger journeys by direct trains only. Since April 2001, 2.6 million direct and indirect journeys have been made between London and Glasgow in both directions.

Railways: Glasgow

Katy Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport who will take the final decision on whether to continue direct London to Glasgow rail services; and when he expects that decision to be taken.

Chris Mole: The specification of train services between London and Glasgow is set by the Secretary of State and is subject to agreement of track access rights by the Office of Rail Regulation.
	There are no proposals to discontinue direct rail services between Glasgow and London Euston via the West Coast Main Line which carries most of the Glasgow to London passengers.
	After the completion of the £8.9 billion West Coast Main Line upgrade, only a relatively small number of passengers travel by the direct service from Glasgow to London Kings Cross, which has a substantially longer journey time than the Glasgow to Euston service. Therefore, as part of a major revision of the East Coast Main Line timetable, consideration is being given to replacement of direct Glasgow to London Kings Cross services with through services between Glasgow, Leeds, Sheffield and the Midlands.

Railways: Glasgow

Katy Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department has conducted any recent research of the economic benefits of retaining direct London to Glasgow rail services.

Chris Mole: The economic benefits of direct services between London Euston and Glasgow were evaluated in detail by the former Strategic Rail Authority as part of the business case for upgrading the West Coast Main Line. It has not been necessary for the Department for Transport to repeat that work.
	The future of direct services between London King's Cross and Glasgow has been reviewed as part of a package of changes to services on the East Coast Main Line. Specifically, the Department for Transport has considered whether through-journeys between Glasgow and north-east England should be provided by Cross Country services rather than East Coast services. In accordance with normal practice, assessment of alternative service patterns is focussing on the changes in passenger journey opportunities and the impact on operating costs. The economic benefits of the full package of changes to the East Coast Main Line timetable will be evaluated in due course to confirm the overall business case for the changes.

Railways: Glasgow

Katy Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what environmental impact assessment has been made of the retention of direct London to Glasgow rail services.

Chris Mole: There are no plans to reduce services running between London Euston and Glasgow. Any proposals to modify services between London Kings Cross and Glasgow will be subject to public consultation. However, the number of people who travel from Glasgow to Kings Cross is very small, due to the significant longer journey time than the recently improved Glasgow to Euston service.
	It is not the Department for Transport's policy to carry out environmental assessments of changes to individual service patterns. Instead such assessments are used to inform major investment decisions such as the Department's recent announcements of new electrification schemes.

Regional Development Agencies: Finance

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what funding his Department has provided to each of the regional development agencies in each of the last three years; and for what purposes.

Chris Mole: The Department made the following payments to regional development agencies during the last three financial years:
	
		
			  £ 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 One Northeast - 5,777 - 
			 London Development Agency 31,787 18,093 - 
			 South West Development Agency - - 29,078 
			 Total payments 31,787 23,870 29,078 
		
	
	The payment made in 2008-09 was a contribution towards the Regional Development Agency's Carbon Assessment scheme. Due to a change in the Department's accounting system in 2008 it is not possible to identify the purpose of the payments made in 2006-07 and 2007-08 other than at disproportionate cost.

Roads: Accidents

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  how many  (a) road traffic accidents,  (b) road traffic fatalities,  (c) accidents involving motorcyclists,  (d) fatalities involving motorcyclists,  (e) accidents involving cyclists and  (f) fatalities involving cyclists there were in (i) East Sussex and (ii) Lewes constituency in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many road traffic accidents in  (a) East Sussex and  (b) Lewes constituency involved motorbikes in each of the last five years; and how many of them resulted in loss of life in each of those five years;
	(3)  how many road traffic accidents which occurred in  (a) East Sussex and  (b) Lewes constituency involved loss of life in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: The information requested is given in the tables.
	
		
			  Reported personal injury road accidents and fatalities in East Sussex 2004-08 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 All injury accidents 2,795 2,746 2,657 2,769 2,554 
			 Fatal accidents 43 52 46 31 42 
			 Fatalities 48 58 46 32 44 
			 Accidents involving motorcycles 372 378 365 346 395 
			 Fatal accidents involving motorcycles 10 12 12 12 10 
			 Fatalities in accidents involving motorcycles 10 12 12 12 10 
			 Accidents involving pedal cycles 230 254 248 254 259 
			 Fatal accidents involving pedal cycles 3 2 2 4 4 
			 Fatalities in accidents involving pedal cycles 3 2 2 4 4 
		
	
	
		
			  Reported personal injury road accidents and fatalities in Lewes( 1) : 2004-08 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 All injury accidents 346 304 345 374 316 
			 Fatal accidents 7 4 7 8 6 
			 Fatalities 9 4 7 9 7 
			 Accidents involving motorcycles 35 37 42 44 51 
			 Fatal accidents involving motorcycles 2 1 3 3 1 
			 Fatalities in accidents involving motorcycles 2 1 3 3 1 
			 Accidents involving pedal cycles 21 21 20 19 32 
			 Fatal accidents involving pedal cycles 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Fatalities in accidents involving pedal cycles 0 0 0 1 1 
			 (1) Based on 2004 constituency boundaries

Roads: Accidents

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many road traffic accidents which occurred in Leeds North West constituency involved loss of life in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Reported fatal road accidents in Leeds North West constituency( 1) , 2004-08 
			   Accidents 
			 2004 5 
			 2005 2 
			 2006 7 
			 2007 6 
			 2008 1 
			 (1) Based on 2004 parliamentary constituency boundaries.

Rolling Stock

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what the average age of  (a) electric and  (b) diesel powered rolling stock on the rail network was in (i) 1997, (ii) 2003 and (iii) 2009; and what the equivalent average ages are expected to be in (A) 2014, (B) 2020 and (C) 2030.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport does not hold data for these specific categories. However, overall average age figures for the national rail fleet are published in the National Rail Trends on the Office of Rail Regulation's website at:
	www.rail-reg.gov.uk

Rolling Stock

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport on how many occasions, and in each case in respect of how many vehicles, his Department has exercised its right to buy from the rolling stock companies rolling stock which those companies have identified  (a) for scrapping and  (b) for export in each year since 1997.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport inherited this right to buy rolling stock in 2005 from the Strategic Rail Authority. Since this date, the Department has not exercised the right to buy rolling stock that has been identified by the leasing companies for scrapping or sale.
	Rolling stock is normally only offered to the Department when the ROSCO has exhausted all avenues to lease it or does not see a good business case for ownership. As a rule the vehicles they have offered to the Department are usually intended for scrapping such as the Mark 1 slam door stock.

Severn Bridge: Tolls

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether the Department plans to bring forward proposals to amend the Severn Bridges Act 1992 to enable the toll over the Severn Bridge to be paid via means other than cash; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: Detailed discussions for providing credit and debit card facilities as a method of payment are continuing with the concessionaire.
	Once all negotiations are complete, the project to introduce card payments at the Severn Crossings can be progressed.
	In parallel with the negotiations with the concessionaire, the necessary amendments to secondary legislation to permit debit and credit card payments are being prepared.

Severn Bridge: Tolls

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department plans to authorise the annual inflationary increase for the Severn Bridges toll price from April 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: The Severn Bridges Toll Order 2009 was made on 16 December 2009 and came into force on 1 January 2010. This order sets the toll rates for the calendar year.
	The toll rates for 2010 were announced by Severn River Crossing plc. on 18 December 2009.

Severn Bridge: Tolls

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when his Department plans to make an announcement on the annual inflationary increase in the Severn Bridges toll price from April 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: New toll rates come into effect on 1 January each year and reflect changes to the retail price index (RPI). For 2010 they also reflect the restoration of the 17.5 per cent. VAT rate.
	The Severn Bridges Toll Order 2009 was made on 16 December 2009 and came into force on 1 January 2010. The toll rates for 2010 were announced by Severn River Crossing plc. on 18 December 2009.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will publish legal advice  (a) obtained and  (b) considered by his Department in the last two years on the application of the minimum wage to seafarers sailing between UK ports.

Paul Clark: The Government's legal advice concerning the proposed extension of the national minimum wage to seafarers plying their trade between UK ports is clear and has been relayed on a number of occasions, both personally and in correspondence, to representatives of the trade union movement by successive Ministers.
	I last wrote to the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington, setting out the Government's position on the proposed extension of the national minimum wage, on 9 November 2009. I have placed a copy of that correspondence in the Libraries of the House.
	Additionally, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given today to him by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (UIN 307815).

Travel: Concessions

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many pensioners were in receipt of concessionary travel fares  (a) in 1997 and  (b) in the latest period for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport does not maintain records of how many people in local authorities are in receipt of a concessionary bus pass as concessionary travel is administered locally by Travel Concession Authorities (TCAs).
	The last information held by the Department was that as of 17 April 2009, 7,883,897 of the new smartcard concessionary passes had been issued in England. This includes applications from disabled people as well as those aged 60 and over.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Ministers of Religion: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what steps are being taken to ensure that the stipend for parish priests is sufficient for them to perform their duties.

Stuart Bell: The principles of adequacy, flexibility and equitability underpin the work of the Central Stipends Authority which annually recommends a National Minimum Stipend and strongly encourages dioceses to ensure that no full-time stipendiary minister is paid below this level.
	The CSA believes that current stipend levels are adequate and bishops and diocesan staff keep them under regular review as part of the pastoral care of the clergy. It should also be remembered that the clergy remuneration package includes more than just the stipend. It also includes the provision of housing, payment of council tax, water charges and maintenance costs, a non-contributory pension, removal grants and (in high risk areas) subsidised insurance.
	For the Church Commissioners' part, they do make available, via the Archbishops' Council, additional stipend support to the least well-resourced dioceses.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

House of Commons: Electricity

Keith Vaz: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much the House of Commons Commission has spent on electricity on the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate in each of the last five years.

Nick Harvey: Direct expenditure by the House of Commons authorities on electricity during the last five years has been:
	
		
			   £000 
			 2004-05 930 
			 2005-06 1,273 
			 2006-07 1,709 
			 2007-08 1,428 
			 2008-09 1,929 
		
	
	The increase in costs over the period is largely due to the increased unit cost of electricity: consumption in 2008-09 was slightly lower than in 2004-05, with some fluctuation in the years in between.
	The above figures do not include electricity charges for some leasehold buildings (4 Millbank, 7 Millbank and Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre) on the Commons part of the parliamentary estate as these are met by the landlord and not separately recorded.

House of Commons: Marketing

Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many press, marketing and communications staff are employed by the House of Commons; and how many staff provide media and communications support to the Speaker.

Nick Harvey: The Media and Communications Service (MCS) employs 11 staff, six of whom work with select committees. One MCS member of staff works with the Speaker's special adviser to provide media and communications support for the Speaker's outreach activities as part of a range of responsibilities. In addition to the MCS, there is an internal communications team, employing five staff, with responsibility for communications with House of Commons staff, Members and Members' staff.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Policing and Crime Act 2009

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations the Government has received on the effects of the Policing and Crime Act 2009 on the powers of the Belfast International Airport Constabulary, with particular reference to that part of the Act which amends the Aviation Security Act 1982; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are aware of concerns about the ability of the Belfast airports to operate private police forces and this was discussed with the Northern Ireland Office during the drafting of the new provisions.
	I can confirm that we will use powers in the Policing and Crime Act 2009 to ensure that the current policing arrangements can be maintained at both airports. Officials from the Department for Transport will work closely with the airports concerned and the Northern Ireland Office in this matter.

Weapons: Decommissioning

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress is being made towards total decommissioning of weapons held by  (a) Republican and  (b) Loyalist paramilitaries in Northern Ireland.

Paul Goggins: I welcome the historic report from the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning on 6 January confirming a major decommissioning act by the UDA, one which the leadership of the UDA has stated constitutes the totality of those armaments under its control. This is an important development and further evidence of the success of politics over violence in Northern Ireland.
	I join the IICD in calling on other groups still intending to decommission and currently engaged with the IICD to put their weapons beyond use before the amnesty ends on 9 February.

WALES

Prison Overcrowding

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on overcrowding in prisons in Wales.

Wayne David: I have met regularly with the Minister for Prisons to discuss the search for locations suitable for new 1,500 place prisons.
	Our aim is to ease prison overcrowding in Wales and to provide local employment. There will be a focus on four priority areas of greatest strategic need for prison places, including North Wales.

Clean Air Charters

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the  (a) First Minister and  (b) Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change to promote clean air charters in Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Wayne David: My right hon. Friend has taken a close interest in clean air charters, and his officials and advisers have been engaged in promoting them in Wales, including in discussion with counterparts in the Welsh Assembly Government and the Department of Energy and Climate Change. We support all steps that can be taken to improve air quality.

Economic Situation

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on the Welsh economy.

Peter Hain: I had regular discussions with the former First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM on the Welsh economy and will continue to do so with the new First Minister.
	Our action both in Westminster and Wales has helped to prevent a global recession from becoming a depression. Now we will focus on securing the economic recovery in Wales.

Courts Service

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the service provided by HM Courts Service in Wales.

Wayne David: The Secretary of State and I are delighted that the courts and court offices across the Courts Service in Wales have achieved the new Government Customer Service Excellence standard for delivering high levels of service to court users.

Departmental Conferences

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by his Department on conferences they organised which were subsequently cancelled in each of the last three years; and what the title was of each such conference.

Peter Hain: None.

Departmental Fines

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what powers his Department has to impose administrative penalties; what the statutory basis is for each such power; and how much his Department has recovered in administrative penalties in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Peter Hain: None.

Hotels

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many hotel rooms were booked by officials in his Department in each year since 2007; and how much his Department spent on the fees of third party agents in booking hotel accommodation in each of those years.

Peter Hain: The information is not held in the format requested and could be obtained only by incurring disproportionate costs. No third party booking fees have been incurred.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nationals of  (a) Afghanistan,  (b) Belarus,  (c) Burma,  (d) the People's Republic of China,  (e) Colombia,  (f) Cuba,  (g) the Democratic Republic of Congo,  (h) the Democratic People's Republic of Korea,  (i) Iran,  (j) Iraq, (k) Israel,  (l) the Palestinian Territories, (m) Pakistan,  (n) the Russian Federation,  (o) Saudi Arabia,  (p) Somalia,  (q) Sudan,  (r) Syria,  (s) Turkmenistan,  (t) Uzbekistan,  (u) Vietnam and  (v) Zimbabwe were (i) refused asylum and (ii) removed or voluntarily deported from the UK in each month in the third quarter of 2009.

Phil Woolas: Table 1 shows the number of principal applicants refused asylum, humanitarian protection or discretionary leave at initial decision and table 2 shows the number of removals and voluntary departures of principal asylum cases in the UK, in each month in the third quarter of 2009 for the requested nationalities.
	Information on immigration and asylum are published annually and quarterly. Annual statistics and the latest statistics for Q3 2009 are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

Crime: Nature Conservation

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what types of wildlife crime are dealt with by the National Wildlife Crime Unit.

Alan Campbell: The National Wildlife Crime Unit's priorities are currently:
	Badger persecution;
	Convention on the international trade in endangered species (CITES) issues including all five of CITES' current priorities;
	Raptor (bird of prey) persecution including poisoning, egg theft, chick theft and nest disturbance or destruction;
	Poaching, which includes deer, fish and hare coursing;
	Bat persecution; and
	Conservation of freshwater pearl mussels.
	These priorities are identified on the basis of the conservation status and number of incidents.
	The unit also collects data on the full range of wildlife crime incidents, from swan-related incidents to habitat destruction or illegal dog or cock fighting. If a particular problem emerged, the unit would take steps to tackle it through analytical and operational support of the local police force(s).

DNA: Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 21 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1532W, on DNA: databases, how many profiles have been removed from the National DNA database by each police force in each month since 15 October 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: Table 1 shows the number of subject profiles removed from the national DNA database under the Exceptional Case Procedure, i.e. following a request to the chief officer of the responsible police force from the person concerned, in each month from 16 October 2009 to 30 November 2009.
	The table covers subject profiles from English and Welsh police forces and the British Transport police.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of subject profiles removed from the national DNA database by each police force from 16 October 2009 to 30 November 2009 
			  Force  16-31 October 2009  1-30 November 2009 
			 Avon and Somerset 3 0 
			 Bedfordshire 0 0 
			 British Transport 0 0 
			 Cambridgeshire 0 0 
			 Cheshire 0 0 
			 City of London 0 0 
			 Cleveland 0 0 
			 Cumbria 1 2 
			 Derbyshire 0 0 
			 Devon and Cornwall 0 0 
			 Dorset 0 0 
			 Durham 0 0 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 0 
			 Essex 1 0 
			 Gloucestershire 0 0 
			 Greater Manchester 0 0 
			 Gwent 0 0 
			 Hampshire 0 1 
			 Hertfordshire 2 0 
			 Humberside 0 0 
			 Kent 3 2 
			 Lancashire 0 0 
			 Leicestershire 1 0 
			 Lincolnshire 0 0 
			 Merseyside 0 2 
			 Metropolitan 0 2 
			 Norfolk 1 0 
			 North Wales 0 1 
			 North Yorkshire 0 2 
			 Northamptonshire 1 0 
			 Northumbria 6 1 
			 Nottinghamshire 0 0 
			 South Wales 0 1 
			 South Yorkshire 0 5 
			 Staffordshire 0 0 
			 Suffolk 0 0 
			 Surrey 0 0 
			 Sussex 0 0 
			 Thames Valley 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 0 0 
			 West Mercia 0 0 
			 West Midlands 2 0 
			 West Yorkshire 2 3 
			 Wiltshire 2 0 
			 Total 25 22

DNA: Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 21 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1534W, on DNA: databases, how many new profiles have been added to the National DNA database by each police force in each month since 15 October 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: The figures in Table 1 show the number of subject profiles added to the National DNA database (NDNAD) by English and Welsh police forces and British Transport police in each month between 16 October 2009 and 30 November 2009, broken down by the police force which took the sample.
	The number of subject profiles held on the NDNAD is not the same as the number of individuals. A proportion of DNA profiles held on the NDNAD are replicates- that is, a profile for a person has been loaded on more than one occasion (this may be because the person gave different names, or different versions of their name, on separate arrests, or because of upgrading of profiles). It is currently estimated that 13.8 per cent. of subject profiles held on the NDNAD are replicates. The replication rate of 13.8 per cent. should only be applied over the entire database however, as the replication rate for individual police forces varies considerably. The presence of these replicate profiles on the NDNAD does not impact on the effectiveness and integrity of the database.
	
		
			  Table 1: Subject profiles added to the NDNAD 
			  Force  16 to 31 October 2009  1 to 30 November 2009 
			 Avon and Somerset 569 735 
			 Bedfordshire 231 351 
			 British Transport 259 372 
			 Cambridgeshire 203 430 
			 Cheshire 351 481 
			 City of London 65 92 
			 Cleveland 102 403 
			 Cumbria 200 337 
			 Derbyshire 411 497 
			 Devon and Cornwall 345 768 
			 Dorset 191 345 
			 Durham 175 244 
			 Dyfed-Powys 176 302 
			 Essex 593 1,053 
			 Gloucestershire 205 480 
			 Greater Manchester 1,193 1,781 
			 Gwent 255 412 
			 Hampshire 517 954 
			 Hertfordshire 277 479 
			 Humberside 450 496 
			 Kent 610 863 
			 Lancashire 944 654 
			 Leicestershire 162 519 
			 Lincolnshire 169 421 
			 Merseyside 1,116 2,012 
			 Metropolitan 4,385 5,033 
			 Norfolk 190 331 
			 North Wales 192 482 
			 North Yorkshire 139 358 
			 Northamptonshire 187 311 
			 Northumbria 464 837 
			 Nottinghamshire 433 880 
			 South Wales 473 604 
			 South Yorkshire 458 718 
			 Staffordshire 558 807 
			 Suffolk 206 526 
			 Surrey 250 351 
			 Sussex 635 399 
			 Thames Valley 884 1,004 
			 Warwickshire 99 295 
			 West Mercia 254 570 
			 West Midlands 640 1,875 
			 West Yorkshire 690 1,166 
			 Wiltshire 215 439 
			 Total 21,121 32,467

Drugs: Crime

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police cautions were issued for  (a) possession and  (b) possession with intent for (i) class A, (ii) class B and (c) class C drug offences in each year since 1997.

Alan Campbell: Information provided by the Ministry of Justice showing the number of cautions given for possession of a controlled drug, by class, in England and Wales, 1997 to 2007 (latest available), can be viewed in table 1. The number given for possession with intent to supply can be viewed in table 2.
	Cautions and court proceedings data for 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of offenders cautioned for possession of a controlled drug, by class, England and Wales, 1997 to 2007( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			   Year  Class A  Class B  Class C 
			  Class A 1997 3,918 48,728 249 
			 92/50-92/59 93/67 1998 4,130 51,515 242 
			  Class B 1999 4,266 42,560 164 
			 92/60-92/65 2000 4,479 34,595 147 
			  Class C 2001 4,583 33,182 108 
			 92/66-92/68 93/71-93/72 2002 4,563 38,482 149 
			  2003 4,764 38,845 149 
			  2004 5,576 10,114 14,605 
			  2005 7,431 3,621 20,805 
			  2006 10,139 2,746 21,367 
			  2007 13,536 3,262 22,643 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of offenders cautioned for possession with intent to supply a controlled drug, by class, England and Wales, 1997 to 2007( 1, 2, 3, 4) 
			   Year  Class A  Class B  Class C 
			  Class A 1997 79 401 19 
			 92/70-92/79 93/77 1998 88 470 10 
			  Class B 1999 91 413 8 
			 92/80-92/85 2000 139 305 7 
			  Class C 2001 136 310 5 
			 92/86-92/88 93/77-93/78 2002 132 336 5 
			  2003 129 371 6 
			  2004 137 207 280 
			  2005 189 83 477 
			  2006 247 53 519 
			  2007 234 44 457 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Cannabis was reclassified in January 2004 to a class C drug. From 1997 to 2003 the class B category includes cannabis; from 2004-07 cannabis is included in class C. (4) Since April 2004 the police may issue an adult offender with a cannabis warning for simple possession of cannabis.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services: Ministry of Justice.

Work Permits

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many companies in each industry sector have obtained approval for an intra-company transfer in each month since 31 December 2008.

Phil Woolas: The following table provides details of the number of organisations that have registered under the Points Based System for a Tier 2 sponsor licence in the Intra-Company Transfer category. The information provided is grouped under the appropriate Standard Industrial Classification.
	
		
			  Industry sector  Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec  Total 
			 Accommodation 5 5 5 5 - * * * * - * - 20 
			 Activities auxiliary to financial services and insurance activities 5 * - - - 5 - - 5 * 5 - 15 
			 Activities of extraterritorial organisations and bodies - - * - - * * - - * - - 5 
			 Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities 5 5 10 * 5 5 5 * * 5 5 * 45 
			 Activities of membership organisations - * - - - * - * * - - - 5 
			 Administrative and Support Activities - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Advertising and market research 5 5 10 5 * 5 * 5 5 5 * * 45 
			 Air transport 5 5 5 * * 5 5 5 * 5 * * 40 
			 Architectural and engineering activities; technical testing and analysis 5 5 5 * - * * 5 * * 5 - 30 
			 Civil engineering * - - * 5 - 5 - * - * - 10 
			 Computer programming, consultancy and related activities 25 20 20 25 15 10 15 20 15 25 15 5 205 
			 Construction - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Construction of buildings * * * * * * * * - * - - 10 
			 Creative, arts and entertainment activities 5 * 5 5 5 - 5 * 5 * 5 - 30 
			 Crop and animal production, hunting and related service activities - * - * - - - - * * - - 5 
			 Education 5 5 10 5 - 5 * 5 - * 5 - 30 
			 Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply 5 * * 5 - - - * - 5 - - 10 
			 Employment activities * 5 * * 5 - - * - - * - 10 
			 Extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas 5 5 10 5 5 5 * * 5 5 5 - 45 
			 Financial and Insurance Activities - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Financial service activities, except insurance and pension funding 35 30 30 15 20 20 15 15 25 20 15 5 240 
			 Fishing and aquaculture - - * - - - - - - - - - * 
			 Food and beverage service activities 5 5 5 5 5 * * 5 * 5 * - 30 
			 Gambling and betting activities * - - - - - - - - - - - * 
			 Human health activities 5 * 5 * 5 5 5 * * 5 * * 30 
			 Human Health and Social Work Activities - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Information and Communication - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Information service activities 15 5 10 * 10 5 5 5 10 10 5 * 90 
			 Insurance, reinsurance, pension funding exc compulsory social security 10 10 * 5 5 - 5 * * 5 5 - 40 
			 Land transport and transport via pipelines * * * * - - * * - * * - 10 
			 Legal and accounting activities 5 * 10 5 5 5 * 5 * * 5 - 40 
			 Libraries, archives, museums and other cultural activities - - * - * - - - - - - - † 
			 Manufacture of basic metals * * * - * - * * - - - - 10 
			 Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and preparations 5 * 5 * 5 * * * * * * - 25 
			 Manufacture of beverages * - * * * * - - * - - - 10 
			 Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products 5 5 5 * * - * * * - * - 20 
			 Manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products - * - - - - - - - - - - * 
			 Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products 5 * * 5 * 5 * * 5 5 * - 30 
			 Manufacture of electrical equipment 10 5 5 * 5 * * 5 5 * * - 35 
			 Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery 5 * * - 5 * * * * - - * 15 
			 Manufacture of food products 5 * 5 * * 5 * * - - 5 - 20 
			 Manufacture of furniture - - - - - - - - * - - - * 
			 Manufacture of leather and related products - - - - * - - - * - - - * 
			 Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c. 10 5 5 * 5 5 * * * 5 - - 40 
			 Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers * * * * * * - - - - - - 10 
			 Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products - * - - - - - - - * - * 5 
			 Manufacture of other transport equipment 5 * * - - 5 - - - * - - 10 
			 Manufacture of paper and paper products * * * - - - - * - - * - 5 
			 Manufacture of rubber and plastic products * 5 * - - * - - * * - - 10 
			 Manufacture of textiles - * * - - * 5 - * - - - 10 
			 Manufacture of tobacco products - * * - - - - - - - - - * 
			 Manufacture of wearing apparel - - - * - - - * - - - - * 
			 Manufacturing - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Mining and Quarrying - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Mining of metal ores * - - - - - - * - * - - 5 
			 Mining support service activities * - - - - - * - - - - - 5 
			 Movies, video. & TV prog, sound recording & music publishing activities 5 - - - * - - * * * * - 10 
			 Office administrative, office support and other business support activities 5 - 10 * 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 - 45 
			 Other manufacturing 10 10 5 10 * * 5 5 5 * 5 * 50 
			 Other mining and quarrying - - - - - - * - * * - - 5 
			 Other personal service activities * * * - 5 * * * 5 * - - 15 
			 Other professional, scientific and technical activities 15 10 20 10 15 5 5 10 10 10 * - 110 
			 Other Service Activities - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Postal and courier activities * - - - - - * - - - - - † 
			 Printing and reproduction of recorded media - - * - * - * * - - - - 5 
			 Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Programming and broadcasting activities * * * 5 * * * - * - - - 10 
			 Public administration and defence; compulsory social security - - - - - - - - * - - - * 
			 Publishing activities * 5 5 5 5 - - * * 5 - - 25 
			 Real estate activities * * 5 * * * * * * * * - 20 
			 Remediation activities and other waste management services - - * - - - - - - - - - * 
			 Rental and leasing activities - * - * - - - - - - - - 5 
			 Repair and installation of machinery and equipment * 5 * - * - - * * * * - 15 
			 Residential care activities - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles 10 10 5 5 5 5 * 5 10 * 5 - 60 
			 Scientific research and development 5 * 5 * * * 5 5 5 * - - 30 
			 Security and investigation activities - * - - * * * * - * * - 10 
			 Services to buildings and landscape activities - - * - - - - - - * - * 5 
			 Social work activities without accommodation * - - - - * - - - - * - 5 
			 Specialised construction activities * * * * - * - * * * - - 10 
			 Sports activities and amusement and recreation activities * - * - * - - * - * - - 5 
			 Telecommunications 10 5 5 5 5 5 5 10 5 5 - * 50 
			 Transportation and Storage - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Travel agency, tour operator, reservation service & related activities 5 * 5 * * - - * * * - - 20 
			 Veterinary activities * - - - - - - - * - - - * 
			 Warehousing and support activities for transportation * * * * - - - 5 * * * - 15 
			 Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery * - - - - - - * - * - * 5 
			 Water collection, treatment and supply - - * - - - - - - - - - * 
			 Water Supply, Sewerage and Waste Management - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Water transport 5 * - * * - * * * * * - 15 
			 Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles * - * * * - * * * - * - 10 
			 Wholesale and Retail Trade; Vehicle Repairs - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles 10 5 5 - 5 5 * 10 5 5 5 * 50 
			 Total 305 200 250 145 160 140 125 165 155 160 110 20 1,935 
			 * = 1 or 2 - = Nil  Notes: These data are not provided under National Statistics protocols. They have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. The figures are rounded to the nearest 5 and, as a result, may not sum due to rounding.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: North West

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what steps her Department is undertaking to ensure the north west region will benefit from the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: The Government and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games established the Nations and Regions Group to ensure UK-wide engagement and to maximise the legacy of London 2012. This group works directly with representatives from each of the nations and English regions to maximise the sporting, commercial, cultural and other benefits of the 2012 games.
	There are plans for 68 Olympic and Paralympic pre-games training camps in the north west. In addition, the Australian Olympic swimming team, the Thailand Olympic and Paralympic team and the Oceania National Olympic Committees have signed agreements to base their pre-games training camps in the north west. Old Trafford will also host rounds in the Olympic football competition in 2012.
	43 businesses in the north west have won direct contracts with the Olympic Delivery Authority. some 13 projects in the north west have been awarded the Inspire mark and more than 50 organisations have participated in the open weekend.
	Also, the north west has secured £3.02 million from the Legacy Trust to encourage the north west sporting, cultural and education sectors to connect with the 2012 games. To date, around 550 schools in the north west have registered with Get Set, the official London 2012 education programme.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Biodiversity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many endemic species can be located in the  (a) United Kingdom and  (b) British Overseas Territories; and how many of those are endangered.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Given the limited time available, it is not possible to make a thorough analysis of all available information. I will write to the hon. Member providing the information requested.

Departmental Consultants

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent on consultants advising on the Higher Level schemes in the last three years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The consultancy costs associated with the Higher Level Stewardship scheme cannot be identified separately from the cost of delivering the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) as a whole.
	In delivering the RDPE, the only consultancy costs incurred related to the design of workflow processes and the development work around IT system changes. These costs amounted to:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 2,395,000 
			 2008-09 1,482,000 
			 2009-10 (forecast) 1,962,000

Flood Control

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on the study commissioned to explore technological or process improvements that can be made to speed up drying out and stabilising building recovery after a flood; and when he expects a programme of work based on that study to be established.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the December 2009 progress report on the Government's response to Sir Michael Pitt's review of the summer 2007 floods, recommendation 73.
	DEFRA and the Communities and Local Government Department commissioned a desk-based study to look at current guidance on speeding up drying out and stabilisation after a flood and how it might be used better. This study is now complete. A project is being set up with the Environment Agency and the Association of British Insurers to develop a document pointing to existing advice on how best to achieve drying out. We are on track to meet recommendation 73 by spring 2010.

Flood Control

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of use of water meadows in preventing flooding; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The impact that storing water in flood meadows may have on alleviating flooding in any particular location will depend on the hydrological characteristics of the catchment and the storage capacity and position of the flood meadow. If a water meadow is in a suitable location and has appropriate hydrology to be a flood storage area, it will be assessed in the same way as any other potential flood storage area. Therefore, where there are water meadows, or a water meadow could be created, the Environment Agency or other operating authorities assess the effectiveness of their use for flood alleviation on a case-by-case basis.

Flood Control

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what has been the cost benefit analysis applicable to each of the flood defence schemes given approval within the last 12 months, excluding minor schemes progressed by local authorities.

Huw Irranca-Davies: All flood defence schemes given approval in the last 12 months were reviewed for compliance with DEFRA project appraisal guidance and the Treasury Green Book. Benefit cost ratios (BCRs) are fundamental to this approach as they provide a transparent and inclusive approach to decision making that takes all relevant factors into account. While maximising the BCR often indicates the most economically worthwhile scheme option, the decision-making process takes into account reasonable expectations about the standard of protection appropriate to the location. Therefore, while the overall BCR of the Environment Agency's capital programme is currently 8:1; this includes a wide range of individual scheme BCRs above and below the programme average.
	The following table shows the benefit cost ratio for a sample of ten significant schemes that have had their business cases approved since Christmas 2008. This group represents a total spend of £51 million, and has an average benefit cost ratio that well exceeds our target of five(1).
	(1) Target for Outcome Measure 1-CSR2007 (an Environment Agency performance measure set by DEFRA)
	
		
			  Project title  Environment Agency Region  Benefit cost ratio  Total cost (£ million) 
			 Altmouth Urgent Works North West 12.9 10.8 
			 Burstwick Drain North East 5.5 2.5 
			 Cannington Outfalls South West 20.0 1.0 
			 Gunness Midlands 90.2 2.3 
			 Newmans Sluice Anglian 3.1 3.7 
			 Upper Mole Flood Alleviation scheme Thames 26.5 16.0 
			 Thames and Palace Wharves Thames 7.1 2.1 
			 Welches Dam Pumping Station Refurbishment Anglian 35.0 6.6 
			 Dog in a Doublet Sluice Anglian 20.0 2.0 
			 Pevensey Outfalls Reconstruction Southern 20.8 4.0

Higher Level Schemes

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Higher Level schemes cost in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme is delivered by Natural England on behalf of DEFRA.
	Natural England was allocated £13,600,000 in 2008-09 (the same amount as in 2007-08) to cover its direct costs in delivering the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) under the common agricultural policy. The HLS scheme is but one component. In addition to this allocation, some £22,400,000 (£28,726,000 in 2007-08) was allocated to Natural England to cover the costs of DEFRA's Genesis IT system which is the IT system used to manage and administer the RDPE. These running costs include depreciation, cost of capital and third party support.

Nature Conservation: British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 19 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1213-4W, on nature conservation: British Overseas Territories, what projects have  (a) received and  (b) been allocated funds from the £188,294 of funding for British Caribbean Overseas Territories under the Darwin initiative for 2009-10; and how much each such project was allocated.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following Darwin Initiative projects in the UK's Caribbean Overseas Territories were allocated and provided with funds from the 2009-10 Darwin funding round. For main projects and post projects, project leaders can claim for up to 75 per cent. of their annual award in advance, but the final amount is withheld pending submission of annual or final reports, and/or meeting other agreed targets.
	Although we can confirm actual expenditure from the Darwin Initiative, it is for the recipient organisation to confirm whether it has received the funding.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Project  Allocated  Approved for payment at time of writing 
			 Commonwealth Foundation project to build civil-society capacity for conservation across the Caribbean Overseas Territories 117,150 87,862 
			 Montserrat post-project aiming to reduce impact of feral livestock in Centre Hills 71,144 53,538 
			 Total 188,294 141,400

Nature Conservation: British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 20 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1379W, on Overseas Territories: nature conservation, what biodiversity projects are being funded from the additional £1.5 million announced by the Minister with responsibility for the marine and natural environment my hon. Friend for Ogmore (Huw Irranca-Davies).

Huw Irranca-Davies: This additional funding for biodiversity projects in Overseas Territories is part of round 17 of the Darwin Initiative. We expect to announce the results of round 17 in the spring.

Nature Conservation: British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 19 October 2009, on nature conservation: British Overseas Territories, which British Overseas Territories have applied for funding under the Darwin Initiative's new Overseas Territories Fund; and in respect of what projects those territories have made such applications.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The first round of the Overseas Territories Challenge Fund was launched on 25 November 2009. The deadline for proposals to be submitted is 19 February 2010 and once the deadline has passed I shall write to the hon. Member with this information.

Nature Conservation: British Overseas Territories

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 19 October 2009, on nature conservation: British Overseas Territories, what projects have  (a) received and  (b) been allocated funding from the £27,856 for South Atlantic Overseas Territories under the Darwin Initiative for 2009-10.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following Darwin Initiative projects in the UK's South Atlantic Overseas Territories were allocated funds from the 2009-10 Darwin funding round. The payment made to date is also shown. For clarity, scoping projects are normally paid in arrears. For post projects, project leaders can claim for up to 75 per cent. of their annual award in advance, but the final amount is withheld pending submission of annual or final reports, and/or meeting other agreed targets. Although we can confirm actual expenditure from the Darwin Initiative, it is for the recipient organisation to confirm whether it has received the funding.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Project  Allocated  Received at time of writing 
			 Tristan da Cunha post-project to build capacity for the marine environment for conservation 21,856 1,250 
			 Falklands scoping project working towards a biodiversity inventory and conservation 3,000 0 
			 St. Helena scoping project developing conservation in its Millennium forest 3,000 0 
			 Total 27,856 1,250

Office of Water Services: Hotels

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Office of Water Services has spent on hotel accommodation for its officials in each of the last five years.

Huw Irranca-Davies: It has not been possible to provide figures for hotel accommodation for the years 2004-05 and 2005-06 because previous recording methods meant it was not possible to separate such spending. Available information is set out in the table.
	
		
			   Hotel expenditure (£) 
			 2006-07 22,873 
			 2007-08 15,966 
			 2008-09 23,764

Office of Water Services: Internet

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what redesigns of websites operated by the Office of Water Services have taken place since 27 June 2007; and what the  (a) cost to the public purse and  (b) date of completion of each such redesign was.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I have asked Ofwat to write to the hon. Member for Monmouth directly with this information.

Rodents

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of trends in  (a) the rat population and  (b) the incidence of household rat infestations.

Huw Irranca-Davies: A copy of the latest report on rodent presence in domestic properties as revealed by the English House Condition Survey data for 2002-03 and 2003-04 has been placed in the House of Commons Library. The key finding is that the occurrences of rats inside and outside properties in these years are not significantly different from those observed in 2001.
	The next report covering the period up to 2006 should be available in 2010, although at present there is no set date for publication.

Sewers

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects private sewers and lateral drains connected to public sewers to be transferred to water company ownership; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: On 15 December 2008, the Government announced that the transfer of all private sewers and lateral drains linked to the public sewerage system to water company ownership would take place from 2011. Transfer is the only comprehensive solution to the range of problems presented by private sewers.
	I anticipate consulting on the content of regulations to effect transfer in the new year, prior to them being presented to Parliament for approval.

Wildlife

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what species of wildlife  (a) his Department and  (b) Natural England (i) has re-introduced to England since 1997 and (ii) plans to re-introduce to England.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA itself has not reintroduced, and does not plan to reintroduce, any species to England.
	Since 1997 Natural England and its predecessor bodies have, with partners, re-introduced into England the following four species, which had previously become extinct:
	Corncrake (Crex crex)
	Pool Frog (Rana lessonae)
	Pedunculate Sea-purslane (Atriplex pedunculata)
	Interrupted Brome (Bromus interruptus)
	Natural England is involved in planning the reintroduction of the following two species into England:
	White-tailed Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
	Short-haired Bumblebee (Bombus subterraneus)
	These projects will only go ahead if the required licences are secured and they are shown to meet internationally agreed guidelines produced by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Wildlife

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) his Department and  (b) Natural England has spent on re-introducing species of wildlife to England in each year since 1997.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA itself has not spent money on re-introducing species of wildlife to England.
	Natural England has spent the following amounts on re-introducing wildlife species in England:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 25,000 
			 2008-09 26,000 
		
	
	They plan to spend £52,000 in 2009-10.
	The figures quoted are part of the cost of Natural England's Species Recovery programme, of which re-introduction is one component.
	Information regarding any such expenditure by Natural England's predecessor, English Nature, is not readily available at this time.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Aerials: Planning Permission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent progress has been made in his Department's review of permitted development rights for telecommunications.

Ian Austin: The Department has recently reviewed the permitted development rights for telecommunications.
	The Killian-Pretty progress report, published on 30 July 2009, explained that in relation to telecommunications equipment, the Government have considered whether the existing permitted development rights contained in part 24 of the General Permitted Development Order should be altered and whether the system of prior approval for stand alone telephone masts below 15 metres and certain rooftop mast installations should be amended to require a full planning application. It had decided to make no substantive change to the current regime.
	However, in order to ensure that operators make the best possible use of existing sites, the Government intends to amend planning policy guidance in due course, to strengthen the requirements for operators to demonstrate that they have considered alternative sites and explain why they have been rejected. We will also consider how requirements for mast sharing can be further addressed in any revision of the code of best practice.

Affordable Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage pension funds to invest in new social housing.

Ian Austin: The Board of the Tenant Services Authority (TSA), the regulator of social housing in England, has recently approved and published its Private Finance Strategy. The strategy identifies the future funding requirement of the registered social landlord (RSL) sector and the funding capacity in both the banking and capital markets.
	In the past 18 months RSLs have raised over £1.6 billion through the capital markets. Investors in these bond issues include both pension and life funds. The finance raised will fund both new development of social housing and investment in the existing stock of RSLs.

Affordable Housing: Derbyshire

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many affordable homes have been built in  (a) Chesterfield constituency and  (b) Derbyshire in each of the last 12 months.

Ian Austin: Information on affordable homes built is not available by constituency.
	The HCA has published statistics on the number of affordable homes delivered under the National Affordable Housing Programme for up to the first six months of 2009-10.
	The following table shows the number of new build homes delivered through HCA funding in Derbyshire county during each of the 12 months to September 2009.
	
		
			  New build affordable homes provided with funding through the HCA 
			   Derbyshire county 
			 October 2008 0 
			 November 2008 40 
			 December 2008 60 
			 January 2009 20 
			 February 2009 30 
			 March 2009 90 
			 April 2009 0 
			 May 2009 0 
			 June 2009 10 
			 July 2009 100 
			 August 2009 20 
			 September 2009 0 
			 Total with HCA funding(1) 360 
			 (1) The figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, so the totals may not sum due to rounding. 
		
	
	Total affordable housing supply includes social rent, intermediate rent and Low Cost Home Ownership. Not all affordable housing is provided by new build completions, as some supply can come from acquisitions. The latest data on total gross affordable supply relate to 2008-09. In 2008-09, 60 affordable homes were provided in Chesterfield borough council and 540 in Derbyshire county council. These figures are from the Homes and Communities Agency and local authority returns to CLG (new build and acquisitions).

Arms Length Management Organisations

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what oversight functions the  (a) Local Government Ombudsman,  (b) Tenant Services Authority,  (c) Homes and Communities Agency and  (d) district auditor has in relation to arms' length management organisations.

Ian Austin: The jurisdiction of the Local Government Ombudsman is to investigate complaints by members of the public against local authorities and their ALMOs. It will only consider complaints after individuals have gone through these organisations' own complaints procedures.
	The Tenants Services Authority was set up on 1 December 2008 and assumed the regulatory role for registered social landlords previously held by the Housing Corporation. The Tenant Services Authority will-subject to parliamentary approval-take on the role of regulating local authority social housing, including ALMOs, from April 2010.
	The Homes and Communities Agency was set up on 1 December 2008 and has day-to-day responsibility for delivery of the Decent Homes programme, and provides support and guidance to ALMOs on the delivery of their investment programmes.
	In order to access its Decent Homes funding an ALMO must first be inspected by the Housing Inspectorate which is part of the Audit Commission. The ALMO must achieve at least a two star rating at inspection. The Audit Commission provides advisory services to local authorities and ALMOs seeking to achieve two stars at inspection. The Commission can also, on request, provide tailored consultancy services to ALMOs seeking re-inspection.

Building Alterations

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of funds for independent living adaptations and equipment was spent on  (a) owner-occupied,  (b) private rented,  (c) local authority-owned and  (d) housing association housing by each local authority in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: Local authorities are required to complete and return an annual claim and monitoring form to the Department for Disabled Facilities Grants. The information collected through this exercise was recently expanded and now includes a breakdown of expenditure on Disabled Facilities Grant by housing tenure (excluding expenditure on adaptations to local authority tenants which is funded separately through the Housing Revenue Account). The most recent data collection exercise (2009-10) is nearly complete; this was the first year that these data included a breakdown by tenure and we will be publishing the figures for 2008-09 early in the new year. Prior to 2008-09 this information was not collected.

Building Alterations

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding he has allocated for the purposes of making alterations to homes in order to meet higher environmental standards in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Ian Austin: The Business Plan Statistical Appendix gives a breakdown of local authorities' recorded and proposed expenditure on capital works, including replacement of windows, doors, central heating systems and installation of insulation, all of which may contribute directly to improving the environmental performance of dwellings as well as delivering other benefits. The latest figures show that these works account for £751.2 million (26.6 per cent. of recorded spend) in 2008-09 and £832.7 million (29.4 per cent. of proposed spending) in 2009-10. This does not include spending by registered social landlords.
	The Social Housing Energy Saving programme, which is administered by the Homes and Communities Agency, has allocated £54.5 million in 2009-10, and £23.9 million for 2010-11, for works to install cavity wall insulation in harder to treat social rented properties.

Community Relations: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 12 of his Department's resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC449, what the reasons are for the delay in various Preventing Extremism programmes; and what steps he is taking to reduce them.

Shahid Malik: The under-spend, as set out in the Department's resource accounts for 2008-09, was a result of minor delays in delivering or paying for some projects, which were therefore moved into 2009-10. Those projects are now proceeding.

Conservation Areas

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what single conservation areas the Homes and Communities Agency has established; and which local authorities each area covers.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 October 2009,  Official Report, column 136W, in response to this same question.

Council Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has provided guidance to local authorities on the practice known as gatekeeping in relation to tenants who remain in properties after their notice to leave has expired.

Ian Austin: The Department has issued statutory guidance to local authorities about responding to tenants of private landlords who apply to the local authority for housing assistance following receipt of a notice of intention to recover possession from their landlord. The guidance, at paragraph 8.30 et seq of the 'Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities', was issued in July 2006. The code of guidance is available in the House of Commons Library and on this Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/homelessnesscode.

Council Housing: Rents

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 23 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 831-2W, on council housing: rents, if he will publish figures for  (a) the cumulative arrears of rent,  (b) former tenants' cumulative arrears of rent and  (c) total cumulative arrears as a percentage of rent roll for each local authority in each of the last five years.

Ian Austin: A table containing this information, as reported to Communities and Local Government by local authorities, has been placed in the Library of the House.
	The information is that submitted by local authorities in their second advance housing revenue account subsidy claim forms for the relevant year. It is un-audited and unchecked data that is not used within housing revenue account subsidy calculations. The information is in some cases incomplete.

Council Tax

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman) of19 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1297W, on council tax: energy, if he will place in the Library a copy of each representation the Energy Saving Trust has made to his Department.

John Healey: I have placed a copy of the representations that the Energy Saving Trust made to this Department on council tax: energy, in the Library of the House.

Demolition

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many dwellings have been demolished in each Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder area since 2002-03; and at what cost.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Jim Cousins) on 21 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1503-04W.
	HMR Pathfinders have been allocated more than £2 billion since 2002-03 although the programme focuses much more on the refurbishment and renewal of existing stock than demolition. Allocations to HMR Pathfinders are made for whole programmes, and not for individual elements, on the basis of strategies set out in their business plans. It is for individual Pathfinders to judge how much should be spent on particular activities such as demolitions, taking into account the stage of the regeneration process in their area and local market conditions.

Departmental Consultants

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to his Department of engaging each individual consultant was in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10 to date.

Barbara Follett: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 2 December 2009,  Official Report, column 777W.

Emergency Calls: East Sussex

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) genuine and  (b) bogus (i) fire, (ii) ambulance, (iii) police and (iv) coastguard emergency calls have been received in East Sussex in each year since 2003.

Shahid Malik: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Empty Dwelling Management Orders

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether his Department has provided guidance to local authorities on the circumstances in which empty dwelling management orders may be issued in respect of an empty dwelling which is being marketed for sale;
	(2)  with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) of 15 July 2009,  Official Report, column 488W, on empty dwelling management orders, which local authorities have received individual guidance provided by his officials in the last 12 months.

Ian Austin: The Department has not issued separate guidance on empty dwellings which are being marketed for sale but supports the guidance on empty dwelling management orders which was launched by the independent Empty Homes Agency on 10 March 2009.
	The Department hosted an empty homes seminar for a number of local authorities on 23 April 2009 to provide an opportunity to discuss the obstacles facing authorities in dealing with empty homes, share examples of best practice, and encourage them to take action to tackle empty homes in their area. The following individual local authorities were represented at the meeting:
	Birmingham City Council
	East Cambridgeshire District Council
	Exeter City Council
	Gloucester City Council
	Great Yarmouth Borough Council
	Kent County Council
	Manchester City Council
	Mansfield District Council
	Reading Borough Council
	Sheffield District Council
	Warwick Borough Council
	West Lindsey District Council,
	as well as the West London Housing Partnership, representing seven London boroughs, and the Herts, Beds, Bucks Empty Homes Forum, representing 24 local authorities. A further eight local authorities were invited but were unable to attend. Local authorities contact my officials on an ad hoc basis for which we do not keep records and they can also access information about empty homes on the Department's website.
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingmanagementcare/emptyhomes/

English Partnerships Millennium Communities Advisory Panel

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of each meeting of the English Partnerships Millennium Communities Advisory Panel.

Ian Austin: English Partnerships did not set up an advisory panel to manage the Millennium Communities programme.

European Regional Development Fund

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department holds copies of the European Commission audit reports relating to his Department's administration of the European Regional Development Fund.

Rosie Winterton: Yes. Auditors from the European Court of Auditors and the European Commission carry out audits on English ERDF programmes. This is to ensure that they are managed in compliance with the financial control requirements of the European Commission Regulations and Directives. Their audit reports are sent to this Department, as Managing Authority for the programmes.

European Regional Development Fund

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many individuals were engaged by his Department from consultant firms to work on the European Regional Development Fund closure programme for English regions; and on what matters each is working.

Rosie Winterton: My Department has engaged 13 individuals from consultancy firms to work on the closure of the 2000-06 programmes. Nine of them are setting up and implementing a Programme Management Office to oversee the work on closure. The nine individuals are employed by my Department on a part-time basis and their work is interchangeable, so they do not have individual tasks allocated to them. A further four individuals, qualified accountants and forensic accountants, are engaged by my Department through another consultancy firm, to advise on finance issues related to the closure process.

Fire Services: Manpower

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many co-responding firefighters there are in each fire authority area in England.

Shahid Malik: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Flats: Construction

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of new dwellings completed in 2008-09 were flats.

Ian Austin: Information on the proportion of new build dwellings completed in 2008-09 that were flats is published in live table 254 on the Communities and Local Government website at the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table254.xls
	The figures are shown as proportions and not numbers since the estimates are based on incomplete coverage of new build completions.

Floods: Gloucestershire

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much the Government has spent in total across Government Departments to support recovery in  (a) Gloucester City and  (b) Gloucestershire since the 2007 floods;
	(2)  what resources his Department has made available to Gloucester City to support flood recovery since the 2007 floods;
	(3)  what resources his Department has made available to Gloucestershire to support flood recovery since the 2007 floods;
	(4)  what resources his Department has co-ordinated across Government to support flood recovery in Gloucestershire since the 2007 floods.

Rosie Winterton: Following the flooding of summer 2007, the Government made available a comprehensive package of support for those communities most badly affected. This included Flood Recovery Grant, funding from the Bellwin Scheme, the Restoration Fund and funding for council tax relief, all of which were administered by Communities and Local Government (CLG). The Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) provided funding for schools and children's services and the Department of Transport (DFT) provided funding for repairs to highways and transport infrastructure. Details of the support given to local authorities within Gloucestershire are shown in the following table.
	The total package of support to all local authorities in Gloucestershire was £29,137,517.
	
		
			  Local authority  Support  Amount(£) 
			 Cheltenham borough council Flood Recovery Grant (CLG) 646,500 
			  Bellwin Scheme (CLG) 48,361 
			  Restoration Fund (CLG) 1,774,306 
			  Council Tax Funding (CLG) 2,611 
			  Sum of total funding 2,471,778 
			
			 Cotswold district council Flood Recovery Grant (CLG) 663,500 
			  Bellwin Scheme (CLG) 87,432 
			  Restoration Fund (CLG) 330,316 
			  Council Tax Funding (CLG) 21,722 
			  Sum of total funding 1,102,970 
			
			 Forest of Dean district council Flood Recovery Grant (CLG) 23,000 
			  Restoration Fund (CLG) 13,324 
			  Council Tax Funding (CLG) 2,728 
			  Sum of total funding 39,052 
			
			 Gloucester city council Flood Recovery Grant (CLG) 696,500 
			  Bellwin Scheme (GLG) 189,361 
			  Restoration Fund (CLG) 191,016 
			  Council Tax Funding (CLG) 10,209 
			  Sum of total funding 1,087,086 
			
			 Gloucestershire police authority Bellwin Scheme (CLG) 955,420 
			  Restoration Fund (CLG) 60,639 
			  Sum of total funding 1,016,059 
			
			 Stroud district council Flood Recovery Grant (CLG) 60,000 
			  Bellwin Scheme (CLG) 8,673 
			  Sum of total funding 68,673 
			
			 Tewkesbury borough council Flood Recovery Grant (CLG) 673,500 
			  Bellwin Scheme (CLG) 351,073 
			  Restoration Fund (CLG) 216,919 
			  Council Tax Funding (CLG) 233,000 
			  Sum of total funding 1,474,492 
			
			 Gloucestershire county council Funding from DCSF 1,007,900 
			  Funding from DFT 16,548,000 
			  Bellwin Scheme (CLG) 2,807,644 
			  Restoration Fund (CLG) 1,513,863 
			  Sum of total funding 21,877,407

Homelessness: Nottingham

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) rough sleepers and  (b) homeless people there were in Nottingham North constituency in (a) 1997 and (b) the latest period for which figures are available.

Ian Austin: Information on rough sleeping has been collected since 1998 and a street count conducted in Nottingham in 1998 found 14 rough sleepers. The last street count took place in 2008 and found three rough sleepers.
	Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected at local authority level, and published by the Department in the quarterly Statistical Release on Statutory Homelessness, available both in the Library and via the CLG website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/homelessnessq32009.
	Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available, and this information is also collected.
	Data are not collected at constituency level. Nottingham North constituency falls within the north-western part of the City of Nottingham unitary authority. The numbers of households accepted as statutory homeless in the City of Nottingham in 1997-98 and 2008-09 are 908 and 633 respectively. The number of households accommodated by the City of Nottingham in temporary accommodation as at 31 December 1997 is 148 and as at 30 September 2009 is 74.

Homes and Communities Agency: Equal Opportunities

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what proportion of staff of the  (a) Homes and Communities Agency and  (b) Tenant Services Authority are (i) women and (ii) from black and minority ethnic groups;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has provided to the  (a) Homes and Communities Agency and  (b) Tenant Services Authority on diversity.

John Healey: With respect of the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), 56 per cent. of staff are female and 11 per cent. are from black and minority ethnic groups, and for the Tenants Services Authority (TSA), 59 per cent. of staff are female and 19 per cent. are from black and minority ethnic groups.
	The HCA has developed its own Single Equality scheme 'Diverse intentions' published in November 2009
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/equality
	This covers all of HCA's functions as a housing and regeneration delivery agency, and as an employer.
	In addition, the TSA is about to publish it's Single Equalities scheme setting how it will fulfil its obligations and wider role on equality issues.

Homes and Communities Agency: Pay

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any staff of the  (a) Homes and Communities Agency and  (b) Tenant Services Authority earn salaries of over £194,250.

John Healey: Details of remuneration for senior staff for both the Homes and Communities Agency and the Tenants Services Authority are shown in each organisation's financial statements for 2008-09, copies of which were laid in the House.

Homes and Communities Agency: Public Relations

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman) of 19 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1345W, on the Homes and Communities Agency: public relations, when a copy of the briefs and contract will be placed in the Library.

John Healey: I have placed a copy of the contract briefs in the Library of the House. The actual contracts are commercially sensitive and cannot be made available.

Housing

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of households in  (a) owner-occupier,  (b) private rented and  (c) social rented accommodation was estimated to be overcrowded in (i) England and (ii) each English region in (A) 1997 and (B) 2008.

Ian Austin: The following table provides estimates of the percentage of households that were overcrowded by tenure for each English region and for England for 1996-97 (three-year average 1994-95 to 1996-97). Estimates for 2007-08 (three-year average 2005-06 to 2007-08) are available in table 1.15 of "Housing in England 2007-08", which is available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/pdf/1346249.pdf
	A three-year average is used due to small sample sizes. Estimates are based on data from the Survey of English Housing and overcrowding is defined according to the bedroom standard.
	
		
			  Rate of overcrowding by tenure and region( 1) , 1994-95 to 1996-97 
			  Percentage of households overcrowded 
			   Average 1994-95 to 1996-97 
			   Owner occupiers  Social renters  Private renters  All tenures 
			 North East 1.7 2.4 4.4 2.1 
			 North West 2.2 4.6 3.2 2.8 
			 Yorks and Humber 1.5 2.8 3.2 2.0 
			 East Midlands 1.5 4.0 2.0 2.1 
			 West Midlands 2.5 4.2 2.0 2.8 
			 East 1.1 3.7 1.3 1.6 
			 London 3.0 9.9 5.3 5.3 
			 South East 1.0 4.5 2.8 1.8 
			 South West 0.8 4.2 1.9 1.5 
			 England 1.7 4.9 3.1 2.6 
			 (1) Due to small sample sizes a three-year average is used.  Source: Survey of English Housing.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the terms are of the agreement between the Homes and Communities Agency and the South East England Development Agency on the establishment of a special purpose vehicle.

John Healey: No formal approach has been made to either CLG, BIS or HM Treasury by SEEDA or the HCA on a proposal to create a special purpose vehicle. Any such vehicle would need ministerial approval before commencing.

Housing: Armed Forces

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers and responsibilities local authorities have to rehouse armed forces personnel who have served in Afghanistan and their families.

Ian Austin: The Government recognise the immense contribution of the armed forces and are committed to ensuring that current and ex-service personnel have access to the accommodation they and their families need.
	Local authorities have powers to provide social housing (either within their own stock or by nomination to housing associations in their district) for any armed forces personnel (or people who have left the armed forces) and their families who choose to make an application.
	Local authorities must allocate social housing according to their allocation scheme. Statutory guidance published by this Department last month ("Fair and flexible: Statutory guidance on social housing allocations for local authorities in England"), makes clear that those in greatest housing need must be given priority. But it also gives councils more freedom to allocate their homes according to needs specific to their local area.
	To improve access to social housing, we have changed the legislation to enable service personnel to establish a 'local connection' in the district in which they are serving. Changes to the local connection provisions were made by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 and were brought into force on 1 December 2008. These changes enable service personnel to establish a local connection with the district where they live or work while serving in the forces. These changes improve the position of service personnel by ensuring that their priority for social housing is not undermined, and that they are treated on the same basis as civilians in a similar situation.
	Under the homelessness legislation, local authorities must secure suitable accommodation for applicants who are eligible for assistance (certain categories of person from abroad are ineligible), homeless through no fault of their own and who fall within a priority need group. The priority need groups include people who are vulnerable as a result of having been a member of Her Majesty's regular naval, military or air forces.

Housing: Databases

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 20 October 2009,  Official Report, column 1393W, on housing: databases, what annual payment is made by the Valuation Office Agency to Ordnance Survey to licence the datasets to undertake the geo-referencing; what other payments are made by the Valuation Office Agency to Ordnance Survey in relation to the work; what the total monetary value of such other payments has been to date; and whether Ordnance Survey receives any data or benefit in kind from the Valuation Office Agency as part of this work.

Ian Austin: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is entitled to receive a variety of Ordnance Survey datasets as a member of the Pan Government Agreement, for which it contributes to a central annual payment by Government under the terms of the agreement.
	In addition Ordnance Survey and the VOA have been working together to align their spatial address databases as part of their joint commitment to Smarter Government.
	Under this collaboration, Ordnance Survey supplies VOA with a copy of OS MasterMap((r)) Address Layer 2 for which no charge is made by Ordnance Survey.
	VOA has two address databases covering properties subject to council tax and premises subject to non domestic rates respectively. Under the joint collaboration, the VOA provides Ordnance Survey with a copy of the council tax address data which Ordnance Survey matches to its own address database. Ordnance Survey provides the VOA with information on any corrections to the post code information held within the VOA's council tax database, which have been identified by the address matching process. No charge is made by the VOA for supplying the council tax address data and no payments are made by the VOA to Ordnance Survey in respect of the information provided to the VOA by Ordnance Survey as a result of the address matching work it undertakes.
	Following the address matching process, Ordnance Survey includes the VOA's Unique Address Reference Number (UARN) within OS MasterMap Address Layer 2, and also within a table of cross references to others' unique address identifiers. This cross reference table is available from Ordnance Survey free of charge.
	Ordnance Survey licences the non domestic rates address data from the VOA for address matching against Ordnance Survey's address database, on the VOA's standard commercial terms.

Housing: Energy

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average  (a) current and  (b) potential energy efficiency rating band is for homes in each local authority area.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1283W.

Housing: Immigrants

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of all housing demand was due to net migration into England in the latest period for which figures are available.

John Healey: It is not possible to measure historical demand for housing; the principal proxy of the gross number of new households that have recently formed is derived from the Survey of English Housing.

Housing: Nottingham

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding under the Housing Pledge is planned to be spent in Nottingham North constituency in the next 12 months.

John Healey: The Housing Pledge is delivered through the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), which operates and plans at a local authority level. Information on allocations under the housing stimulus package can be found on the HCA's website at:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/housing_stimulus.htm

Housing: Prices

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2009,  Official Report, column 305W, on housing: prices, what the average sale price of a home in a rural area was in each of the last 20 quarters.

Ian Austin: holding answer 14 December 2009
	The average sale price of a home in a rural area in England for each of the last 20 quarters is presented as follows:
	
		
			   Rural local authorities (£) 
			 2004 Q3 200,243 
			 2004 Q4 195,975 
			 2005 Q1 193,143 
			 2005 Q2 194,136 
			 2005 Q3 204,101 
			 2005 Q4 200,898 
			 2006 Q1 198,087 
			 2006 Q2 206,877 
			 2006 Q3 220,529 
			 2006 Q4 215,846 
			 2007 Q1 215,174 
			 2007 Q2 221,059 
			 2007 Q3 236,318 
			 2007 Q4 230,787 
			 2008 Q1 224,794 
			 2008 Q2 224,230 
			 2008 Q3 232,640 
			 2008 Q4 211,976 
			 2009 Q1 200,579 
			 2009 Q2 205,361 
			  Notes: 1. Local authorities that are classed as rural under the DEFRA rural codes have been included and local authorities classed as urban by DEFRA have been filtered out.  2. Data for 2009 Q2 are provisional.  3. Figures are neither seasonally adjusted nor adjusted to take into account the differing mix of properties sold in each period, so comparisons between quarters are not recommended.  Source:  Land Registry.

Housing: Standards

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the cost of building a home which meets the  (a) Lifetime Home Standard and  (b) Code for Sustainable Homes Level (i) four, (ii) five and (iii) six.

Ian Austin: In "Code for Sustainable Homes: Impact assessment-December 2009", published 18 December 2009, page 73, figure 38 sets out the range of costs for building to the Lifetime Homes Standard as being between £575 and £875. This impact assessment supports the consultation on the Code for Sustainable Homes.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 10 November 2009,  Official Report, column 278W.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether he plans to issue guidance to potential bidders for construction of the new eco-quarters on the submission of proposals for the development of land on or adjacent to  (a) flood plains,  (b) green fields,  (c) green belt,  (d) areas of outstanding natural beauty and  (e) sites of special scientific interest;
	(2)  what timetable has been set for the construction of homes in the new eco-quarters; what target has been set in respect of the number of homes to be built; and to what Code for Sustainable Homes level such homes will be built;
	(3)  what targets for  (a) waste reduction and  (b) car usage he plans to set for the new eco-quarters.

John Healey: In my written ministerial statement of 1 December 2009,  Official Report, column 119WS, I announced the responses we had received to take forward exemplar green developments to the standards that we set out in "Planning Policy Statement: eco-towns" (PPS), published on 16 July 2009. The PPS sets out the planning context and the standards, including for homes, waste and transport that these developments must meet. The PPS should also be read alongside the Government's national policies on the different aspects of spatial planning in England, including for housing and green belt development.
	I have placed copies of the PPS in the Library of the House.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made an assessment of the  (a) outcomes and  (b) cost-effectiveness of the millennium communities scheme.

Ian Austin: The millennium communities is an active programme that is demonstrating how mixed-use, environmentally positive communities can be created on difficult, brownfield sites. It will continue to deliver outputs up to at least 2012. An evaluation of the longer-term outcomes and cost-effectiveness of the Millennium Communities programme would be expected to be undertaken following its completion.
	The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is responsible for delivering the programme on behalf of Communities and Local Government. Communities and Local Government scrutinises the HCA's expenditure and performance in line with the HCA's Financial Framework, and against the aims and objectives set in the HCA's Corporate Plan.

Housing: Sustainable Development

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman) of 19 May 2009,  Official Report, column 1346W, on housing: construction, for what reasons no homes had been built in the Hastings Millennium Community at the time of that answer.

Ian Austin: Hastings Millennium Community comprises three separate sites; Ore Valley, Station Plaza and West Marina. Development on these sites has been subject to delay for various reasons.
	At Ore Valley there has been significant progress as a result, either directly or indirectly, of Homes and Communities Agency funding. A new community centre has already been completed, a college campus is close to completion and an adventure play ground is due to be completed in March 2010. The primary care trust is planning to develop a health centre at the site and improvements are planned at the nearby station. However, delays have resulted from high abnormal development costs and design challenges associated with working in a difficult topography. The housing market in this area is also traditionally weak. This has made it difficult to attract a development partner for the residential elements. Despite this, and the recent market downturn, a development agreement is due to be signed very shortly with Bellway Homes.
	At Station Plaza, a new campus facility and health centre are close to completion but the residential element (comprising 103 apartments) has stalled due to the current housing market.
	West Marina is subject to revised master planning in order to improve viability and clarify funding requirements.

Infrastructure Planning Commission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) length and  (b) notice period is of the contract of each member of the Infrastructure Planning Commission.

John Healey: The IPC chair, deputy chairs and commissioners are appointed for five years; however, this can be renewed, subject to satisfactory performance, up to a maximum of eight years.
	Subject to paragraph 4(2) in Schedule 1 of the Planning Act 2008, these appointments can be terminated early by the Secretary of State giving three months notice, in writing. A commissioner may also resign, again giving three months notice, in writing.

Infrastructure Planning Commission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what declarations of  (a) interest and  (b) political activity each member of the Infrastructure Planning Commission has made.

John Healey: The declarations of interest and political activities of commissioners of the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) are publicly available on the IPC website at:
	http://infrastructure.independent.gov.uk/?page_id=1538

Leasehold: Service Charges

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what means of redress leasehold tenants have in respect of service charges levied by a local authority freehold landlord.

Ian Austin: Local authority long leaseholders as well as long leaseholders more generally have a number of rights where service charges are concerned. Key rights are:
	The right to ask a leasehold valuation tribunal (LVT) to determine the liability to pay and reasonableness of service charges that they are asked to pay under the terms of their lease, where they contribute towards service charges the costs of which vary;
	The right to be consulted where the landlord is to carry out works that will cost an individual more than £250, or a long term agreement where the costs under the agreement will exceed £100 per individual;
	The right to ask for information about service charges and insurance of the property, including the right to ask for a summary of service charges and to inspect the supporting documentation and receipts etc.

Leasehold: Service Charges

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make an estimate of the incidence of the over-charging of leasehold owners of flats on building insurance by property agents who share commission with freeholders.

Ian Austin: Information is not available on the number of incidents where leaseholders of flats may have been 'overcharged' in respect of the contributions paid towards the buildings insurance premium as a consequence of commission being paid to the freeholder and/or managing agent. I am not therefore able to provide an estimate.
	However, where leaseholders of flats believe that any demand made of them through their service charges for contributions towards building insurance is unreasonable, they have the right to ask a leasehold valuation tribunal to determine the reasonableness of the demand.

Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he expects regulations on the provisions of section 27 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 to be brought into force.

Rosie Winterton: Section 27 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 regarding Local Freedoms comes into force on 12 January 2010, two months after Royal Assent. Section 27 does not provide for the making of regulations.

Local Government

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy to introduce a general power of competence for local authorities.

Rosie Winterton: Ensuring that councils have a wide range of powers and freedom to support and enable councils to be innovative and act in the local interest is something that this Government have long been committed to, as demonstrated through our introduction of the Well-being power in 2000 and in 2003 through the introduction of new freedoms and flexibilities, such as the power to trade. Following the "Strengthening Local Democracy consultation", Government have legislated to allow local authorities and other best value authorities to take part in mutual insurance arrangements and this consultation also asked whether there are other similar arrangements-beyond mutual insurance-which councils believe could be beneficial but which are potentially out of scope of existing powers .
	In "Putting the Frontline First", and again in the pre-Budget report we have also committed to further exploring, subject to the overall fiscal position, what other finance mechanisms, powers and flexibilities could support local authorities to drive growth and innovation most effectively.
	In relation to the hon. Member's call for a 'power of general competence', there is a question as to whether, once the inevitable prudential restrictions are applied, such a power would look very different to the current power of well-being. However, these are complex issues, needing careful consideration-which we are committed to taking forward as a matter of priority. The consultation ended on 2 October and we will be publishing our final response in due course.

Local Government Executive

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has issued any recent guidance to local authorities in respect of indirectly elected local authority leaders continuing in office following a change in the political composition of a local authority.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has issued no such guidance to local authorities.

Local Government Finance

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Government grant was per capita for the  (a) Sevenoaks,  (b) Sedgefield,  (c) Chorley and  (d) average English district in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) 2008-09.

Barbara Follett: The Government grant per capita for Sevenoaks, Sedgefield, Chorley and the average shire districts in England in 1997-98 and 2008-09 is as follows:
	
		
			  £ per head 
			   1997-98  2008-09 
			 Sevenoaks 60 64 
			 Sedgefield 66 170 
			 Chorley 58 92 
			 Shire districts 65 98 
			  Source: Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn (RO) returns for 1997-98 and 2008-09. 
		
	
	The definition of central Government grant used here is the sum of formula grant (revenue support grant and redistributed non-domestic rates) and specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance (AEF), i.e. revenue grants paid for council's core services. For 2008-09 it also includes Area Based Grant (ABG).
	Figures exclude grants outside AEF (i.e. where funding is not for authorities' core services, but is passed to a third party, for example, rent allowances and rebates), capital grants, funding for the local authorities' housing management responsibilities and those grant programmes (such as European funding) where authorities are simply one of the recipients of funding paid towards an area.
	Per capita figures are calculated using Office for National Statistics' (ONS) Mid-Year Population estimates for 1997 and 2008.
	Comparison across years may not be valid owing to changing local authority responsibilities and local authority reorganisation.

Local Government Finance: Equality

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the likely effects of the proposed new  (a) public sector equality duty and  (b) duty to tackle socio-economic disadvantage in the Equality Bill on the (i) local government funding settlement, (ii) the setting of a council tax by local authorities and (iii) the spending allocation decisions of local authorities.

Barbara Follett: The Government are committed to ensuring that all new burdens falling on local authorities, whether from the Equality Bill or any other policy, are fully considered and properly funded so that there is no upward pressure on council tax bills. Where appropriate, funding is provided through the formula grant system or through specific grants.
	The setting of council tax and local spending allocation decisions are a matter for local authorities.

Local Government: Pay

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the average level of  (a) salary,  (b) car mileage allowances and  (c) other allowances received by (i) chief executives, (ii) assistant chief executives and (iii) deputy executives of (A) district councils in Lancashire, (B) unitary councils in Lancashire and (C) metropolitan councils in the north west; and what the average level of fee is for each returning officer in each Lancashire constituency.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is not held centrally.

Maps: Databases

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what types of organisation would be entitled to free access to postcode datasets from April 2010 if such datasets were made available for reuse under the Smarter Government strategy;
	(2)  what assessment has been made of the likely effects on Government revenue if postcode datasets were made available for reuse as part of the Smarter Government strategy from April 2010.

Ian Austin: The Department launched a public consultation on 23 December 2009 in order to seek views and comments on what Ordnance Survey datasets should be made available for free re-use under the Making Public Data Public agenda. During the consultation period, the Department will engage with key stakeholders, including Royal Mail which owns the Postcode Address File database, in order to seek their views on elements of the proposals. A final decision on implementation will be taken in light of the outcome to consultation.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to reply to the letter of 29 October 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr G. Jarvis.

Barbara Follett: My right hon. Friend's letter of 29 October 2009 was transferred to the Department for Work and Pensions who responded to it on 16 December 2009.

Mining: Planning Permission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of local authorities have produced finalised mineral core strategies.

Ian Austin: Some 15 of the 95 anticipated mineral core strategies, or core strategies with a minerals element, have been adopted to date. This represents 16 per cent. of the overall anticipated figure. We expect about a further 50 to be published during 2010 and 2011.
	In addition, we estimate that approximately 35 mineral planning authorities are expected to produce mineral development plan documents (DPDs) by the end of 2011, to deal with specific issues and sites, rather than addressing minerals in detail in the core strategy.

Mortgages

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment has been made of the level of availability of mortgages to first-time home-buyers who are unable to provide a substantive deposit.

Ian Austin: Mortgage availability for first time buyers with a deposit of 10 per cent. or less has increased since spring 2009. According to Moneyfacts, in November 2009 there were 118 mortgage products available at 90 per cent. LTV or higher and nine at 95 per cent. LTV or higher, compared to 85 at 90 per cent. LTV or higher and three at 95 per cent. LTV or higher in April 2009.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many residents in  (a) the London Borough of Bexley,  (b) Greater London and  (c) England have received support through the Mortgage Rescue Scheme.

John Healey: The Mortgage Rescue Scheme has been operational across England since January 2009. As part of the monitoring arrangements for the scheme, headline data for January to September 2009, provided by local authorities operating the scheme and broken down by Government Office Region, are available on the Department's website. The figures can be assessed using the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/mortgagerescuestatistics
	Figures reported by local authorities from January to September 2009 are provided in a table, which has been placed in the Library of the House.
	In the current economic conditions, we have acted rapidly to put in place help and support for households struggling with their mortgage at every stage: from free debt advice when problems start, to free support for cases that reach court. Advice is available to all households struggling with their mortgage, with targeted schemes for those in most need.

Mortgages: Government Assistance

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2009,  Official Report, column 306W, on mortgages: Government assistance, whether he has identified the priority areas in respect of the Mortgage Protection Scheme.

John Healey: Further to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 8 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 306-07W, 56 areas have been identified as priority areas as part of the preventing repossessions awareness campaign.
	These are currently:
	Barking and Dagenham;
	Corby;
	Knowsley;
	Salford;
	Newham;
	Walsall;
	Redditch;
	Halton;
	Sandwell;
	Wolverhampton;
	Nottingham;
	Birmingham;
	Manchester;
	Bolton;
	Liverpool;
	Sunderland;
	Reading;
	Wigan;
	Swindon;
	Northampton;
	Kingston-upon-Hull;
	Cannock Chase;
	Barnsley;
	Derwentside;
	Doncaster;
	Easington;
	Luton;
	Middlesbrough;
	North Lincolnshire;
	Nuneaton and Bedworth;
	Oldham;
	Peterborough;
	Rochdale;
	Rotherham;
	Sedgefield;
	South Tyneside;
	Stockton-on-Tees;
	Stoke-on-Trent;
	Tameside;
	Tamworth;
	Wear Valley;
	Wellingborough;
	Ashfield;
	Blackburn with Darwen;
	Blackpool;
	Blyth Valley;
	Bradford;
	Burnley;
	Chester-le-Street;
	Croydon;
	Greenwich;
	Lewisham;
	Rossendale;
	South Holland;
	Thurrock; and
	Waltham Forest.

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 28 October 2009,  Official Report, column 472W, on multiple occupation: licensing, on what date he plans to publish the report by the Building Research Establishment.

Ian Austin: We aim to publish the Building Research Establishment (BRE) Report in the next couple of months.

Newham Homes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what assessment was made by the Housing Corporation before its abolition of the work undertaken by Newham Homes;
	(2)  if he will require the Tenant Services Authority to undertake an investigation into the appropriateness of the level of service charges being levied by Newham Homes on its leaseholders in Brentwood.

Ian Austin: Newham Homes is an arm's length management organisation (ALMO) and not a registered social landlord. As a result of this, no assessment of Newham Homes has been made by either the TSA or its predecessor body, the Housing Corporation.
	Tenant Services Authority's remit will not extend to the whole social housing sector until its remaining powers under the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 are commenced in April 2010. This legislation will not provide for the regulation of leasehold properties including those that are managed by social landlords.
	However, where leaseholders believe that a demand for service charges is unreasonable they have the right to ask a Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to determine the reasonableness of the demand.

Newham Homes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what targets his Department has set for repair and renovation of the housing stock owned by Newham Homes.

Ian Austin: Newham Homes manages the housing stock owned by the London borough of Newham.
	Newham Homes currently receives capital funding under the ALMO programme to repair and maintain the housing stock that it manages.
	The ALMO is undertaking an investment programme agreed with its local authority, the Department and the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). The capital funding will enable it to achieve the Decent Homes Standard by 2011-12. The HCA was set up on 1 December 2008 and has day-to-day responsibility for delivery of the Decent Homes programme.

Non-Domestic Rates: Empty Property

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate he has made of the additional net revenue raised from reductions in empty property business rate relief in each year since 2007-08; and what estimate he has made of the change in revenue arising from the end to the lower threshold from April 2010.

Barbara Follett: The impact assessment of the reforms to the Empty Property business rate relief which came into force on 1 April 2008 estimated that these would increase net tax yields by £950 million in 2008-09, £900 million in 2009-10 and £900 million every year thereafter. The full impact assessment can be seen at:
	http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/em/uksiem_20080386_en.pdf
	Data on the amount of Empty Property Relief actually paid out are collected annually from local authorities. However, changes in these amounts will not only be due to the recent reforms; other factors like the number, type and value of empty hereditaments will also play their part.
	In 2009-10 all empty properties with rateable values up to £15,000 are eligible for full relief from business rates-70 per cent. of all properties are under this threshold and, if empty, are not liable for rates in 2009-10. This temporary measure is providing real help to owners to manage short-term pressures in a difficult property market.
	No estimate has been made of the change in revenue arising from the end to the temporary reform of the empty property relief scheme. In the pre-Budget report the Chancellor announced that the temporary increase in the threshold at which an empty property becomes liable for Business Rate Relief is being extended for a further year and that the amount of this threshold has been increased to £18,000. The full pre Budget report can be seen at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pbr09_completereport.pdf
	Regulations and an accompanying impact assessment to give effect to this amount will be brought forward in due course.

Owner Occupation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment was made by his Department's predecessor of the effectiveness of its Open Door scheme to promote home ownership.

John Healey: I am not aware of any assessment made by this Department's predecessor, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, of the effectiveness of the Open Door scheme to promote home ownership which operated in 1984 and 1985. Further research could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.

Planning Obligations

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes will be made to arrangements for Section 106 agreements consequent on the implementation of the Community Infrastructure Levy; and whether changes will be made to such arrangements in local authority areas which do not implement the Community Infrastructure Levy.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 October 2009, Official Report, column 136W.

Planning Permission

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government under what circumstances the Highways Agency may (a) delay determination by a local authority of a planning application and  (b) impose conditions which have to be met before the local authority is allowed to determine a planning application.

Ian Austin: The Highways Agency are a statutory consultee for the purposes of planning applications. As such they must be formally consulted on relevant planning applications.
	By virtue of Article 15 (a) or (b) of the General Development Procedure Order (the GDPO), the LPA must consult the Highways Agency on any planning application for certain specified types of development involving access to a trunk road, or near to certain highways or proposed highways. The LPA cannot determine such applications unless they have been given a direction by the Highways Agency, or the Highways Agency confirms there won't be a direction, or until 28 days (or such longer period as the LPA and Highways Agency agree) have passed without receipt of a direction.
	The Highways Agency must also be consulted on planning applications for development on development likely to result in a material increase in the volume or a material change in the character of traffic entering or leaving a trunk road
	The Highways Agency may, in providing their comments on such applications, make recommendations as to conditions which they would like the LPA to impose if planning permission is granted.
	Before imposing any conditions recommended by the Highways Agency the LPA must, as with any planning condition, ensure that each condition meets the policy requirements. These are currently set out in circular 11/95, and including 'six tests' which state each condition should be:
	necessary
	relevant to planning
	relevant to the development to be permitted
	enforceable
	precise and
	reasonable in all other respects
	CLG are currently consulting on draft policy relating both to planning conditions and to the role of statutory and non-statutory consultees. These consultations were launched on 21 December 2009 and will close on 19 March 2009.
	The relevant consultation papers are:
	"Improving the use and discharge of planning conditions" and
	"Improving engagement by statutory and non-statutory consultees"
	These and association documents can be viewed on the CLG website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/planningandbuilding/planning/planningpolicyimplementation/reformplanningsystem/killianprettyreview

Planning Permission

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 24 November 2009,  Official Report, column 38WS, on departmental expenditure limit (2009-10), what unfunded legal challenges on planning in relation to which legal proceedings have concluded required funding from the £400,000 for West Northamptonshire Development Corporation.

Ian Austin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1302W.

Planning Permission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill)of 12 October 2009,  Official Report, column 347W, on planning permission, if he will make it his policy to require local planning authorities who have a hub connector to make it open to the private sector and other third parties who wish to connect for commerce or not-for-profit services.

Ian Austin: This would be a matter for decision by individual local authorities.

Planning Permission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has plans to adopt the recommendations of the Killian Pretty Review on statutory notices required for planning applications in relation to other types of notice for which his Department is responsible.

Ian Austin: In response to the recommendations of the Killian Pretty review, which focused on the planning context, we announced on 21 December that the rules for local authorities advertising planning applications in local newspapers will not change. Any proposals to change the arrangements for other types of statutory notices, for which this Department is responsible, would need to be considered case by case, each on its own merits.

Planning Portal

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to privatise the Planning Portal.

Ian Austin: We have no plans to privatise the planning portal.

Regional Development Agencies

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) statutory and  (b) non-statutory functions of the regional development agencies are funded by his Department.

Rosie Winterton: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not provide funding for specific statutory or non statutory functions undertaken by the regional development agencies (RDAs). The Department makes an annual contribution to the RDAs' single programme, which is administered by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, as sponsor Department for the RDAs.

Regional Planning and Development

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many core strategies have not been found by the Planning Inspectorate to meet the soundness tests in Planning Policy Statement 12.

Ian Austin: Eight authorities have had their core strategy development plan documents found unsound on the basis that they failed to meet the soundness tests in Planning Policy Statement 12.

Regional Planning and Development: South West

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 2 November 2009,  Official Report, column 774W, on regional planning and development: South West, what the estimated cost is of the additional work on the South West Regional Spatial Strategy; and what his Department's policy is on the publication of draft and final Regional Spatial Strategy in the period leading up to a general election.

Ian Austin: It is not appropriate to release the actual costs for the additional work on the South West Regional Spatial Strategy at this time, as to do so would prejudice commercial interests. I can however indicate that the estimated cost of the additional work is no greater than £50,000. It is the Government's policy not to publish any significant policy documents during an election campaign period, which would begin six weeks prior to the date of a general election.

Regional Planning and Development: Transport

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the effect of predicted future changes in the level of car ownership on future planning policy for  (a) transport and  (b) parking.

Ian Austin: The Department for Transport produces forecasts of travel demand (trips to and from each local authority) within the TEMPRO dataset, which can be obtained free of charge from
	www.dft.gov.uk/tempro.
	These forecasts are based on demographic data and a car ownership forecasting model (which takes into account GDP). The growth factors from TEMPRO represent the national benchmark for growth in travel demand; as such, TEMPRO is widely used by scheme promoters.
	Regional planning bodies and local authorities may take account of TEMPRO and other relevant information when formulating their transport policies. The current set of regional spatial strategies (RSS) combines planning with transport planning to deliver strategic policies to shape the region and guide future transport developments. In future, regional planning bodies will also have regard to national policy statements when preparing the new single regional strategies. The RSS sets parking policies at the region level to ensure a consistent approach is used between local authorities in the area, in order to avoid wasteful competition.
	Local authorities are required to have regard to relevant regional and national planning policies when preparing their Local Development Documents (LDDs), including the Core Strategy. The local area will also have a Local Transport Plan (LTP), which sets out the authority's local transport strategies and policies, and an implementation programme. LDDs should have regard to the LTP when identifying and allocating sites for development and formulating objectives for the improvement of the local area. Similarly the recently published statutory LTP guidance emphasises that LTPs should be prepared in the context of the broader policies and objectives contained in relevant regional strategies and should reflect and support local development frameworks.
	Local authorities are best placed to determine the parking policies that are appropriate for the local area. Planning Policy Guidance Note 13: Transport (PPG 13) states that these policies "should set maximum levels of parking for broad classes of development", allowing authorities to take account of local factors. Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing (PPS 3) notes that specifically in residential areas, parking policy should "take account of expected levels of car ownership, the importance of promoting good design and the need to use land efficiently".

Retail Trade: Planning Permission

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to include a competition test in planning requirements for new retail development.

Ian Austin: The Government are currently considering the recommendation from the Competition Commission for a competition test in planning and will be publishing their response shortly.

Starbucks: Planning Permission

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 20 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1401-02W, on Starbucks: planning permission, if he will place a copy of each of the eight Planning Inspectorate reports in the Library.

Ian Austin: Copies of the decisions, referred to in the answer of 20 October 2009,  Official Report, columns 1401-02W, have been placed in the Library of the House.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council England

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if he will publish the hospitality guidelines issued to Arts Council England staff;
	(2)  what hospitality was received by  (a) senior managers and  (b) board members of Arts Council England in each of the last three years.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich East. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Arts Council England

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which council members of Arts Council England have served since January 2005.

Margaret Hodge: The current members of the Arts Council England are:
	
		
			  Name  Start date  End date  Number of terms 
			 Diran Adebayo 20 October 2004 19 October 2010 2 
			 Janet Barnes 1 February 2005 31 January 2013 2 
			 Jon Cook 8 September 2008 7 September 2012 1 
			 Ekow Eshun 26 January 2009 25 January 2013 1 
			 Dame Liz Forgan (Chair) 1 February 2009 31 January 2013 1 
			 Nicholas Kenyon 3 November 2009 2 November 2013 1 
			 Keith Khan 1 May 2006 30 April 2010 1 
			 Francois Matarasso 1 October 2005 30 September 2013 2 
			 Alice Rawsthorn 1 February 2007 31 January 2011 1 
			 Anil Ruia OBE 24 November 2008 23 November 2012 1 
			 Tom Shakespeare 1 October 2004 30 September 2012 2 
			 Alistair Spalding 26 January 2009 25 January 2013 1 
			 Rosemary Squire 26 January 2009 25 January 2013 1 
		
	
	The former members of the Arts Council England who have served since 2005 are:
	
		
			  Name  Start date  End date  Number of terms 
			 Sir Norman Adsetts 1 June 2002 31 January 2005 1 
			 Andrew Brewerton 6 August 2007 28 February 2009 1 
			 Tom Bloxham MBE 1 June 2002 23 September 2008 2 
			 Dame Deborah Bull 17 June 1998 31 July 2005 3 
			 Kentake Chinyelu-Hope 1 October 2005 30 September 2009 1 
			 Sir Christopher Frayling (Chair) 1 February 2004 31 January 2009 2 
			 Deborah Grubb 1 June 2002 31 July 2005 1 
			 Lady Sue Hollick 1 June 2002 30 September 2009 2 
			 Stephen Lowe 1 June 2002 31 July 2005 2 
			 Alan Livingston 1 June 2002 31 May 2007 2 
			 Sir Brian McMaster 1 July 2002 31 May 2008 2 
			 Elsie Owusu OBE 1 June 2002 31 May 2009 2 
			 William Sieghart 1 July 2000 31 May 2006 2 
			 Stuart Timperley 1 June 2002 31 May 2008 3 
			 Dorothy Wilson 1 June 2002 30 November 2009 2

Arts Council England

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  which solicitors' partnerships have been used by Arts Council England in each of the last three years;
	(2)  what the names and addresses are of the  (a) accountancy firms and  (b) auditors currently used by Arts Council England;
	(3)  when Mr. Julian Ravest of Robin and Gorringe was contracted to provide services in respect of Arts Council England's monitoring of the Public arts building project in West Bromwich; and when that contract ended;
	(4)  how much was paid to Robin and Gorringe by Arts Council England in each year between 2002 and 2006;
	(5)  what consultants were contracted by Arts Council England in relation to The Public arts centre in West Bromwich;
	(6)  in which of the last 10 financial years Graham Devlin was employed as a consultant by Arts Council England.

Margaret Hodge: The issues raised are matters for Arts Council England.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to consider the issues raised and write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Arts Council England

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  who the  (a) internal and  (b) external trustees are of Arts Council England's pension fund; and in which capacity each serves;
	(2)  which trade unions are given facility agreements by Arts Council England; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such agreements.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for Arts Council England.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to consider the issue and write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Arts Council England

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will commission an inquiry into the value for money of the proposed restructuring of Arts Council England.

Margaret Hodge: I have no plans to commission such an inquiry.

Arts Council England: Consultants

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will take steps to reduce the number of consultants engaged by Arts Council England.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for Arts Council England.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to consider the issue and to write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Arts Council England: Consultants

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent reports he has received on Arts Council England hiring outgoing senior employees as consultants.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 15 December 2009
	The Department has received no such reports.

Arts Council England: Finance

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had on the future funding of Arts Council England; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Officials and Ministers in my Department meet regularly with Arts Council England and current and future funding forms part of those discussions.

Arts Council England: Grants

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to direct the Arts Council to remove questions regarding sexual orientation from its application forms for funding.

Margaret Hodge: The Arts Council works independently from Government as a non-departmental public body and there is no political interference in its work or its decisions. It would not be appropriate for us to dictate the content of application forms.
	The Arts Council has told us the sexual orientation question is due to be removed from their application form in March. They are looking at how best to comply with new duties proposed in the Equality Bill.

Arts Council England: Occupational Pensions

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will require Arts Council England to publish details of its pension deficit on an annual basis.

Margaret Hodge: Arts Council England publishes details of its pension scheme, including any deficit each year in their annual report and accounts.

Arts Council England: Occupational Pensions

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent reports he has received on Arts Council England's pension fund deficit.

Margaret Hodge: Arts Council England report on their pension deficit each year in their annual report and accounts. Valuations take place every three years and the next is due on 31 March 2010.

Broadband

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department plans to commission research into the effects on broadband take-up of the proposed 50 pence per month levy.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Member for East Ham (Mr. Timms) on 16 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1346W.

Creativity and Business International Network

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2009,  Official Report, column 528W, on Creativity and Business International Network: finance, on what the remaining 60 per cent. of the c&binet budget was  (a) allocated and  (b) spent.

Si�n Simon: The remaining 60 per cent. of the cbinet budget for 2009-10 was allocated towards activities relating to network development, stakeholder engagement (including obtaining speakers), delegate recruitment, website development and content, overarching co-ordination, media engagement, future development of cbinet and contingency. These categories also represent spend during this period.

Departmental Legislation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criminal offences have been  (a) created and  (b) abolished by secondary legislation sponsored by his Department since 1 May 2008.

Si�n Simon: Since 1 May 2008, the following new offence has been created by secondary legislation sponsored by DCMS: -
	The Audiovisual Media Services Directive Regulations 2009-SI 2009/2979-SI 2009/2979 amends the Communications Act 2003 at section368N to create a criminal offence if a person provides an on-demand programme service when his entitlement to do so is suspended by a direction under section 368K or 368L or in contravention of a restriction contained in such a direction.
	Since 1 May 2008, no offences have been abolished by DCMS sponsored secondary legislation.

Departmental Legislation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what criminal offences have been  (a) abolished and  (b) created by primary legislation sponsored by his Department since 1 May 2008.

Si�n Simon: No new offences have either been abolished or created by primary legislation sponsored by DCMS since 1 May 2008.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2009,  Official Report, column 528W, how much of the amount spent on planning and staging the event at The Grove was spent on  (a) food,  (b) drink and  (c) travel to the event.

Si�n Simon: The gross amount spent on  (a) food  (b) drink and  (c) travel from the budget allocated to planning and staging the event are as follows.
	
		
			   £ 
			 (a) 24,399.05 
			 (b) 6,176.83 
			 (c) 1,907.42 
		
	
	There was also a total amount of £44,297 spent on day delegate rates. This included some provision for food and drink, but also covered other costs such as hotel staff, room hire, use of audio visual equipment and use of hotel facilities.
	In addition, from a separate budget, we spent £3,446 on travel to the event for speakers and cbinet ambassadors.

Gambling Act 2005

Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he plans to take under the provisions of the Gambling Act 2005 to allow commercial snooker and pool clubs to offer higher prizes on licensed gaming machines on their premises; what timetable he has set for such action; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Proposals in relation to gaming machines in commercial snooker and pool clubs are being considered as part of my Department's review of category B gaming machines.
	I will make an announcement about the review in due course.

Gambling Act 2005

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints his Department received under the chain-gifting provisions of the Gambling Act 2005 in  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department has not received any complaints under the chain-gifting sections in the Gambling Act 2005 since the provisions came into force in 2007.

Museums and Galleries: West Bromwich

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish 
	(1)  all reports produced for the Arts Council England board by Moss Cooper on The Public arts centre in West Bromwich;
	(2)  the reports produced by Robin And Gorringe for Arts Council England on The Public arts centre in West Bromwich;
	(3)  all reports made to the Capital Projects Board of the Arts Council on the construction of The Public arts centre in West Bromwich between 1995 and 2006;
	(4)  the minutes of all discussions the board of Arts Council England has had on The Public arts centre in West Bromwich;
	(5)  all correspondence between Sylvia King of The Public arts centre and Sally Luton of Arts Council England between July 2005 and November 2006.

Margaret Hodge: The issues raised are matters for Arts Council England.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to consider the issues raised and write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich East.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Museums and Galleries: West Bromwich

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when responsibility for the Public Arts Centre in West Bromwich was transferred from the Capital Projects Office at Arts Council England to Arts Council England West Midlands.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for Arts Council England.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive to write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Museums and Galleries: West Bromwich

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish the reports produced by PricewaterhouseCoopers on the funding of The Public arts centre in West Bromwich before The Public Building Limited went into administration.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for Arts Council England.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive of Arts Council England to consider the issues raised and write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East.
	Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Museums and Galleries: West Bromwich

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what the date was of the first grant payment made to C/plex Limited by Arts Council England;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter from Arts Council England to C/plex Limited on approval of the process of appointment of the architect to design The Public arts centre in West Bromwich.

Margaret Hodge: This is a matter for Arts Council England; my Department does not hold the requested information.
	Accordingly, I have asked the chief executive to write direct to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich, East. Copies of the reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Olympic Games 2012: Culture

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people of each  (a) sex and  (b) age group in each region have participated in programmes launched as part of the Cultural Olympiad since the inception of those programmes.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 14 December 2009
	The Cultural Olympiad is a four year developing programme of cultural activity which enables a wide range of people across the UK to celebrate and become involved in the best of British culture. It includes major national projects, a UK-wide cultural festival and annual open weekend celebrations. The London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) does not hold information on participation in Cultural Olympiad programmes by age or sex.
	However, three of the Cultural Olympiad's major national projects have already launched. These are: 'Stories of the World', involving 14 regional partners and over 50 museums, libraries and archives across the UK; 'Artists Taking The Lead', which received 2,163 submissions from artists in every nation and region of the UK; and 'Unlimited' which is inviting applications for a £1.5 million commission to support the production of quality work by disabled and deaf artists.
	The Inspire Mark programme recognises non-commercial projects which are genuinely inspired or energised by the 2012 Games. According to latest available figures, 142 cultural projects have been awarded the Inspire Mark across the nations and regions of the UK, and form the UK-wide cultural festival. LOCOG estimates that approximately one million people took part in the open weekend celebrations in 2008 and 2009.

Telephone Tapping

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his predecessor had discussions with the Metropolitan Police in 2006 regarding its inquiry into the illegal telephone tapping of her mobile telephone on behalf of media organisations.

Ben Bradshaw: My predecessor was contacted by the Metropolitan police on two occasions in 2006 when she was informed that they had evidence that led them to believe that her voicemail had been systematically intercepted in May 2006.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Broadband

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of households in the United Kingdom have access to broadband internet.

Stephen Timms: According to Ofcom's Communications Market Report published in August 2009, over 99 per cent. of households are connected to a broadband enabled exchange and 65 per cent. of households in the UK subscribe to a fixed broadband connection.
	The report can be found at:
	http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/cm/cmr09/cmr09.pdf
	Not all households connected to a broadband exchange can in practice access a broadband service. The Digital Britain report estimated that 89 per cent. of UK households can access a broadband service at 2mbps or above.

Broadband: Herefordshire

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answers of 30 November 2009,  Official Report, column 554W, on broadband: Herefordshire, and pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2009,  Official Report, column 831W, on broadband, what his estimate is of the percentage of  (a) residential and  (b) business properties which have access to at least two megabits per second of broadband service in Herefordshire; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: No such estimate has been made.

Broadband: Kent

Damian Green: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of households in  (a) Ashford constituency and  (b) Kent have broadband connections at speeds of (i) 2 Mbps or less and (ii) more than 2 Mbps.

Stephen Timms: This Department does not hold this information.

Business: Billing

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses have signed up to the Prompt Payment Code in each month since it was introduced; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Lucas: The following table is taken from data produced by the Institute of Credit Management (ICM). It shows the number of businesses that have signed up since the code was introduced and it is based on the date when the business applied to join.
	A full list of all signatories is provided on the ICM website and can be viewed via the following link:
	http://212.36.97.5/ppc/signatory.a4d?uid=634062674
	
		
			  Month  Number of business applying to join code 
			 December 2008 2 
			 January 2009 23 
			 February 2009 62 
			 March 2009 34 
			 April 2009 14 
			 May 2009 15 
			 June 2009 26 
			 July 2009 20 
			 August 2009 17 
			 September 2009 19 
			 October 2009 45 
			 November 2009 31

Business: Chesterfield

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) small,  (b) medium-sized and  (c) large businesses in (i) Chesterfield constituency and (ii) Derbyshire have received funding under the Regional Loans Transition Fund Scheme.

Rosie Winterton: In Derbyshire 10 businesses have received funding from the Regional Loans Transition Fund Scheme. Of these, two are within the Chesterfield constituency. All of these are small and medium sized businesses-it is not possible however to split the numbers between these categories.

Business: Credit

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the level of access to credit for small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department receives regular representations from banks, businesses, representative bodies and members of the public on financial issues relating to small businesses, including access to credit.
	The Department remains committed to ensuring viable businesses secure financial support as is required, and continues to work closely with the banks and business representative bodies through the Small Business Finance Forum. The Forum fosters stronger working relationships and effective communication between all parties, and is informed by the monthly SME bank lending data submitted to BIS by the four main SME lenders.

Business: Government Assistance

Dai Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made in providing venture capital support to small businesses.

Rosie Winterton: Since 2000 national Government have committed £400 million to a range of venture capital funds that have attracted a further £551 million of public sector investment. In 2006 Government established Capital for Enterprise Ltd. as an arm's length body to manage these funds and that body now has more than £951 million under management. These funds have invested in nearly 600 businesses.
	The enterprise capital funds are Government's current main equity programme which continue to invest in early stage technology-orientated SMEs, together with the Aspire fund for female entrepreneurs and the capital for enterprise fund-part of the Real Help package. In addition Government are progressing delivery arrangements for the UK innovation investment fund, announced in June this year-as a fund of funds which will invest in underlying technology based funds including those in the healthcare and low carbon sectors. The Government have committed £150 million to this fund leveraging £175 million from the private sector so far, creating a funding pool initially worth £325 million.
	The Government's 2009 pre-Budget report announced our intention to establish a new growth capital fund, for SMEs seeking growth capital between £2 million and £10 million and plans are progressing to design and deliver that fund.
	These funds are complemented by a range of regional funds operated by the regional development agencies (RDAs). RDAs are currently agreeing plans, totalling around £500 million for further regional fund delivery drawing in EU structural funds from the European regional development fund and additional private sector contributions from Europe.

Business: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the average size was of grants made under the Enterprise Guarantee Scheme to small and medium-sized enterprises in the West Midlands in the latest period for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 16 December 2009
	 The Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme (EFGS) provides the lender with a guarantee of 75 per cent. of the loan to viable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the margins of commercial lending. The scheme was launched in January and, by 9 December, loans worth a total of £64.41 million had been made to 643 businesses in the West Midlands. This represents an average value of £100,171. The Chancellor announced in the pre-Budget report that the scheme would be extended for a further 12 months to 31 March 2011 supporting up to £500 million of further bank loans to businesses across the country. The scheme has been welcomed by business and will play a vital role in encouraging enterprise and investment and driving productivity and growth throughout the UK economy.

Capital for Enterprise

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the  (a) headcount and  (b) employment cost was of Capital for Enterprise Limited in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: The headcount and total employment costs for Capital for Enterprise Ltd. for the 12 months ending 30 November 2009 are listed as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Staff  NEDs 
			 Salaries(1) 740,091 135,000 
			 NIC 72,939 14,403 
			 Pensions 154,509 0 
			 Total 967,539 149,403 
		
	
	
		
			   Staff  NEDs 
			 Headcount (average) (2)13 4 
			 (1) Salary cost includes bonus payments (2) Based on staff numbers between 10-17

Capital for Enterprise

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been paid in bonuses to staff at Capital for Enterprise Ltd. since April 2008.

Rosie Winterton: Capital for Enterprise Ltd. commenced on 1 April 2008 and established a system whereby work objectives are set and bonuses earned according to performance against those objectives. Approval of bonus payments rests with the remuneration committee. Staff have been paid bonuses of £34,412 under this arrangement.

Capital for Enterprise

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what financial performance objectives have been set for the  (a) Capital for Enterprise Fund and  (b) UK Innovation Investment Fund.

Rosie Winterton: The capital for enterprise fund financial performance objective is to make commercial returns commensurate with the instruments used and the risk of the underlying investments. A performance incentive has been created for the manager of the capital for enterprise fund which entitles it to a share of profits once the investors have received a return equivalent to 8 per cent. per annum on their investment in the fund (8 per cent. internal rate of return). This is in line with normal commercial practices
	The UK innovation investment fund is a fund of funds. The target financial return is the average of the performance of the top quartile funds available for investment in the relevant vintage years (2010 and 2011), less the fund-of-funds fees. This measure will provide a target for the funds-of-funds to select and manage funds which have the clear potential to be among the top 25 per cent. of funds in their peer group.

Defence and Security Organisation

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the role of the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation is in promoting arms sales; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Lucas: UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation (UKTI DSO) was created in UKTI in April 2008 when the lead for supporting UK industry manufacturing defence goods for export was transferred from the Ministry of Defence to the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.
	UKTI DSO delivers the essential government-to-government dimension in sales providing assistance to defence and security companies based in the UK to promote UK equipment, products and services overseas in a responsible and transparent manner, to help companies succeed.
	The defence and security sectors are important elements of the UK economy, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and contributing billions of pounds annually in exports. UK was the second most successful defence global exporter in 2008 and is recognised as a world leader in the security field.

Departmental Research

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has  (a) evaluated and  (b) conducted on barriers to women and those from ethnic minorities establishing businesses.

Rosie Winterton: The Household Survey of Entrepreneurship was conducted by the Department bi-annually between 2001 and 2007. This survey included analysis of barriers to starting a business for women and ethnic minorities.
	The Annual Small Business Survey has been used to systematically acquire data on obstacles to success reported by women-led and ethnic minority-led businesses since 2003.
	A number of studies focusing on specific issues have also been conducted. These include:
	The Government's response to the Ethnic Minority Business Task Force (2009).
	The Government's response to the Women's Enterprise Task Force (2009).
	Assessing the effectiveness of different forms of support for women's enterprise: the regional women's enterprise initiatives (2008).
	Exploring gender differentials in access to business finance: an econometric analysis of survey data (2007).
	Finance for small and medium-sized enterprises: comparisons of ethnic minority and white owned businesses (2006).
	Women's business ownership: recent research and policy developments (2006).
	Sharing the vision: a collaborative approach to increasing female entrepreneurship (2003).
	Engaging black and minority ethnic entrepreneurs in business support (2003).
	Further details of these and other relevant studies are available on the Publications page of the BIS website:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/publications/reports/index.html

Graduates

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students from  (a) Chesterfield constituency,  (b) Derbyshire and  (c) England graduated in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: The latest figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) are shown in the table. Figures for the 2008/09 academic year will be available later in January 2010.
	
		
			  Qualifiers( 1)  from Chesterfield parliamentary constituency( 2) , Derbyshire local authority and England. UK Higher Education Institutions: Academic years 1997/98 to 2007/08 
			  Academic year  Chesterfield  Derbyshire  England 
			 1997/98 410 3,755 305,995 
			 1998/99 425 4,045 315,715 
			 1999/00 475 4,055 322,590 
			 2000/01 545 4,425 355,550 
			 2001/02 555 4,585 363,345 
			 2002/03 525 4,800 387,615 
			 2003/04 570 5,130 409,965 
			 2004/05 685 5,350 427,900 
			 2005/06 615 5,155 429,845 
			 2006/07 620 5,165 434,335 
			 2007/08 655 5,715 450,990 
			 (1) Covers qualifiers from full-time and part-time postgraduate and undergraduate courses. (2) The figures for Chesterfield and Derbyshire do not include qualifiers where the parliamentary constituency or local authority area of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes.  Notes: Figures are based on a qualification obtained population and have been rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: Nottingham

Graham Allen: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many residents of Nottingham North constituency attended university  (a) in 1997 and  (b) in the most recent academic year for which figures are available.

David Lammy: The latest available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency is provided in the table. Figures for the 2008/09 academic year will be available later in January 2010.
	
		
			  Enrolments( 1)  from Nottingham North constituency( 2) . UK Higher Education Institutions( 3) : Academic years 1996/97 and 2007/08 
			  Academic year  Enrolments 
			 1996/97 855 
			 2007/08 1,160 
			 (1) Covers undergraduate and postgraduate students of all ages enrolled on full-time and part-time courses. (2) The table does not include enrolments where the constituency of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid postcode information. (3) Excludes the Open university due to inconsistencies in their coding of students across the time series.  Notes: Figures are on a snapshot basis as at 1st December and are rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Radio Frequencies

Peter Luff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the Programme Making and Special Events sector's ability to migrate into different interleaved frequencies for use of wireless microphones and related technologies since notice of the clearance of existing frequencies was provided in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2007.

Stephen Timms: The issues surrounding the clearance of the interleaved frequencies used by the Programme Making and Special Events sector, as part of Digital Switchover, have been the subject of extensive consultation by Ofcom. Ofcom's analysis and the responses have been the subject of discussion between BIS and Ofcom and between BIS and the PMSE sector. The Government are currently considering the views of the PMSE sector in the context of the support to be offered in clearing channels 61, 62 and 69 as set out in its Digital Britain report.

Regional Development Agencies: Marketing

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much each regional development agency has allocated for spending on advertising, marketing, communications and public relations in 2009-10; what companies each agency has contracted to provide services relating to such matters; what the monetary value is of each such contract; and what services are provided under each such contract.

Rosie Winterton: Each regional development agency is structured differently to reflect regional priorities. As a result, the information requested is not uniformly recorded or comparable. Each RDA publishes its budget in their annual reports, which are available on the website of each agency and include details of administrative spending.
	To provide information for this current financial year, including disaggregated data, could create a misleading impression for the year as a whole and would incur significant and disproportionate costs.

Regional Development Agencies: Pay

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the salary is of the  (a) chief executive and  (b) chair of each regional development agency.

Rosie Winterton: The salary details for chief executives and chairs of each of the eight RDAs (excluding London which is the responsibility of the Mayor) are detailed as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			  RDA  Chief executive  Chair 
			 Advantage West Midlands 140,772 81,718 
			 East Midlands Development Agency 140,772 81,718 
			 East of England Development Agency 140,772 81,718 
			 Northwest Development Agency 140,772 81,718 
			 ONE North East 140,772 81,718 
			 South East England Development Agency 149,775 (1)54,479 
			 South West Regional Development Agency 140,772 81,718 
			 Yorkshire Forward 131,414 81,718 
			 (1) SEEDA chair remuneration is on the basis of a two day week.

Regional Development Agencies: Political Activities

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer to Lord Bates of 10 November 2009,  Official Report, House of Lords, column 150WA, on regional development agencies, what declaration of political activity has been made by each of the named appointees.

Rosie Winterton: The declaration of political activity made by each of the named appointees are detailed in the following table.
	
		
			  Political activity declared by RDA board members reappointed in 2009 
			  Member reappointed  Political activity declaration  Regional development agency 
			 Brendan Connor None declared Advantage West Midlands 
			
			 Peter McCarthy-Ward None declared East of England Development Agency 
			 William Pope None declared  
			 Lord Edward Iveagh None declared  
			
			 Tricia Pedlar None declared East Midlands Development Agency 
			 Haydon Biddle None declared  
			
			 Ruth Thompson OBE None declared One North East 
			 Paul Callaghan None declared  
			 Councillor Peter Jackson Conservative Group Leader on Northumberland County Council. He represents Ponteland South with Heddon. He chairs the Council's Scrutiny Management Board and is an Executive Member of the Association of North East Councils.  
			
			 Alexander Pratt JP OBE None declared South East England Development Agency 
			 Robert Goldfield None declared  
			 Pamela Charlwood None declared  
			
			 John Savage CBE None declared South West Regional Development Agency 
			
			 Councillor John Weighell Conservative Group Leader of North Yorkshire County Council and a Member of Hambleton District Council. He is a member of the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly and Vice-Chair of the Association of North Yorkshire Councils. Yorkshire Forward 
		
	
	
		
			  Political activity declared by RDA board members whose terms were extended in 2009 
			  Member extended  Regional development agency  Political activity declaration 
			 Richard Ellis (Chair) East of England Development Agency None declared 
			
			 Joseph Dwek CBE North West Regional Development Agency Has supported both the Labour and Conservative parties 
			
			 Margaret Fay OBE (Chair) One North East None declared 
			
			 Terry Hodgkinson (Chair) Yorkshire Forward None declared

Unemployment: Young People

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of people aged 16 to 24 were not in education, employment or training in each  (a) region and  (b) local authority area in each quarter of the last 10 years.

Kevin Brennan: The following table gives the number and percentage of people aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training for each region of England for every quarter from quarter two 2000 to quarter three 2009. These estimates are from the Labour Force Survey.
	The Labour Force Survey sample is not large enough to provide quarterly estimates for small geographies such as local authority areas. We are able to give annual estimates for local authorities from the Annual Population Survey, which has a larger sample; for annual estimates for local education authorities from 2000 to 2008. I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1752W, 24 February 2009,  Official Report, column 618W, and 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1721W.
	
		
			  People aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training (NEET) 
			Region  
			   NEET  North East  North West  Yorkshire and Humber  East Midlands  West Midlands  East of England  London  South East  South West  England 
			 Q3 2009 Percentage 22.7 21.3 19.4 17.1 19.4 15.3 17.2 15.7 15.6 18.0 
			  Number 74,000 183,000 126,000 90,000 123,000 92,000 164,000 144,000 86,000 1,082,000 
			 
			 Q2 2009 Percentage 20.9 18.4 18.5 14.0 20.6 13.3 12.6 15.4 11.8 15.9 
			  Number 69,000 155,000 121,000 75,000 131,000 82,000 120,000 142,000 66,000 959,000 
			 
			 Q1 2009 Percentage 17.8 18.5 16.0 12.9 20.1 13.6 13.9 14.1 13.9 15.6 
			  Number 57,000 156,000 107,000 69,000 126,000 83,000 127,000 130,000 78,000 935,000 
			 
			 Q4 2008 Percentage 16.7 16.8 13.6 12.8 16.4 12.9 14.6 13.2 11.1 14.2 
			  Number 54,000 142,000 92,000 68,000 105,000 79,000 131,000 122,000 63,000 857,000 
			 
			 Q3 2008 Percentage 19.6 17.6 17.8 15.9 18.7 13.5 16.5 14.4 12.7 16.2 
			  Number 65,000 151,000 119,000 86,000 119,000 82,000 149,000 131,000 71,000 973,000 
			 
			 Q2 2008 Percentage 17.4 16.2 15.1 13.4 15.6 12.5 14.5 12.1 9.7 14.0 
			  Number 56,000 139,000 101,000 71,000 98,000 77,000 132,000 111,000 55,000 840,000 
			 
			 Q1 2008 Percentage 16.2 16.1 11.3 13.1 15.0 14.1 14.8 11.5 10.9 13.6 
			  Number 52,000 136,000 75,000 69,000 95,000 87,000 129,000 104,000 63,000 810,000 
			 
			 Q4 2007 Percentage 15.3 14.2 12.3 13.0 14.7 12.1 14.2 12.8 9.8 13.1 
			  Number 49,000 120,000 82,000 70,000 93,000 74,000 123,000 116,000 56,000 782,000 
			 
			 Q3 2007 Percentage 16.4 17.3 15.9 15.1 17.6 15.2 15.7 14.0 11.2 15.4 
			  Number 52,000 144,000 105,000 81,000 111,000 92,000 136,000 125,000 63,000 909,000 
			 
			 Q2 2007 Percentage 14.6 16.1 13.9 12.8 17.4 14.1 15.1 12.4 11.1 14.2 
			  Number 47,000 134,000 92,000 66,000 107,000 84,000 130,000 112,000 61,000 833,000 
			 
			 Q1 2007 Percentage 15.2 15.2 14.5 13.8 18.0 12.8 13.8 12.0 12.7 14.1 
			  Number 48,000 127,000 97,000 72,000 111,000 76,000 119,000 107,000 70,000 828,000 
			 
			 Q4 2006 Percentage 14.2 14.4 14.5 12.5 15.4 12.9 17.2 10.5 12.3 13.8 
			  Number 45,000 120,000 95,000 65,000 96,000 77,000 148,000 93,000 68,000 808,000 
			 
			 Q3 2006 Percentage 16.9 16.9 18.3 15.6 17.7 15.5 21.2 13.2 13.5 16.6 
			  Number 53,000 140,000 118,000 81,000 112,000 92,000 184,000 115,000 74,000 970,000 
			 
			 Q2 2006 Percentage 16.7 15.7 16.5 14.8 15.6 14.4 16.1 12.5 10.8 14.8 
			  Number 52,000 128,000 105,000 76,000 97,000 86,000 141,000 108,000 59,000 851,000 
			 
			 Q1 2006 Percentage 16.8 14.6 14.5 15.3 14.8 12.4 15.4 12.1 11.0 14.0 
			  Number 52,000 118,000 93,000 77,000 90,000 72,000 132,000 105,000 61,000 801,000 
			 
			 Q4 2005 Percentage 19.3 13.9 16.6 13.9 15.1 13.2 16.9 12.7 11.6 14.6 
			  Number 61,000 114,000 107,000 70,000 93,000 77,000 143,000 110,000 63,000 837,000 
			 
			 Q3 2005 Percentage 22.5 15.0 16.7 13.4 16.4 11.8 17.7 12.7 14.0 15.2 
			  Number 68,000 124,000 107,000 67,000 100,000 69,000 156,000 110,000 76,000 877,000 
			 
			 Q2 2005 Percentage 19.7 14.5 15.9 11.6 14.3 11.3 15.4 10.0 11.5 13.5 
			  Number 62,000 117,000 99,000 59,000 88,000 66,000 134,000 85,000 61,000 771,000 
			 
			 Q1 2005 Percentage 17.9 13.8 14.5 12.1 13.2 10.4 15.5 10.8 11.8 13.1 
			  Number 56,000 110,000 89,000 61,000 81,000 60,000 131,000 92,000 63,000 743,000 
			 
			 Q4 2004 Percentage 18.7 14.1 13.1 13.7 13.6 10.7 16.4 9.5 11.4 13.2 
			  Number 58,000 113,000 81,000 68,000 83,000 61,000 139,000 82,000 60,000 744,000 
			 
			 Q3 2004 Percentage 19.0 15.6 16.5 14.9 16.7 12.2 18.7 10.5 11.0 14.9 
			  Number 59,000 123,000 100,000 73,000 99,000 68,000 160,000 90,000 57,000 829,000 
			 
			 Q2 2004 Percentage 16.4 14.0 11.9 11.7 14.4 11.2 15.2 10.0 9.4 12.6 
			  Number 49,000 109,000 72,000 57,000 84,000 62,000 131,000 84,000 47,000 697,000 
			 
			 Q1 2004 Percentage 17.4 12.1 12.5 11.0 14.2 9.3 15.5 11.5 7.4 12.3 
			  Number 53,000 94,000 75,000 53,000 84,000 51,000 133,000 98,000 37,000 677,000 
			 
			 Q4 2003 Percentage 15.2 13.4 12.8 10.7 13.5 9.0 14.3 11.7 7.4 12.1 
			  Number 46,000 105,000 76,000 51,000 81,000 50,000 122,000 99,000 37,000 667,000 
			 
			 Q3 2003 Percentage 19.6 17.6 16.1 13.6 17.4 13.3 15.5 12.3 10.0 14.9 
			  Number 59,000 136,000 96,000 63,000 102,000 72,000 136,000 102,000 50,000 815,000 
			 
			 Q2 2003 Percentage 18.6 14.4 14.8 12.8 15.0 12.3 12.7 11.5 8.7 13.1 
			  Number 54,000 109,000 86,000 59,000 86,000 66,000 111,000 94,000 43,000 708,000 
			 
			 Q1 2003 Percentage 18.7 13.1 16.2 11.8 15.5 14.4 13.8 10.7 10.8 13.6 
			  Number 55,000 98,000 94,000 54,000 89,000 78,000 119,000 89,000 53,000 729,000 
			 
			 Q4 2002 Percentage 17.2 13.4 12.7 12.2 13.5 12.8 12.5 9.1 9.8 12.2 
			  Number 50,000 100,000 73,000 56,000 79,000 69,000 108,000 76,000 49,000 659,000 
			 
			 Q3 2002 Percentage 17.5 15.9 18.5 12.9 16.9 13.5 16.0 11.1 11.8 14.8 
			  Number 51,000 115,000 105,000 59,000 96,000 73,000 138,000 92,000 57,000 785,000 
			 
			 Q2 2002 Percentage 16.2 16.6 15.3 12.2 15.5 11.5 13.7 10.8 8.9 13.3 
			  Number 46,000 119,000 86,000 55,000 87,000 61,000 120,000 88,000 42,000 703,000 
			 
			 Q1 2002 Percentage 18.2 16.0 14.9 13.1 16.1 11.4 12.7 10.1 10.3 13.3 
			  Number 53,000 116,000 83,000 59,000 90,000 61,000 110,000 82,000 49,000 701,000 
			 
			 Q4 2001 Percentage 16.1 15.0 13.7 11.3 14.4 11.0 13.2 10.5 8.9 12.6 
			  Number 46,000 110,000 76,000 51,000 81,000 59,000 114,000 85,000 43,000 664,000 
			 
			 Q3 2001 Percentage 18.1 18.0 15.7 13.7 14.3 13.6 15.7 11.7 12.0 14.6 
			  Number 50,000 130,000 84,000 60,000 80,000 72,000 138,000 95,000 57,000 766,000 
			 
			 Q2 2001 Percentage 15.2 15.9 13.8 12.5 13.6 11.5 12.4 8.4 10.4 12.4 
			  Number 42,000 114,000 74,000 54,000 75,000 60,000 109,000 68,000 49,000 644,000 
			 
			 Q1 2001 Percentage 20.2 15.7 14.8 13.1 14.8 11.6 11.9 9.5 9.7 13.0 
			  Number 56,000 113,000 80,000 57,000 81,000 61,000 101,000 76,000 45,000 671,000 
			 
			 Q4 2000 Percentage 18.3 13.5 13.9 13.0 15.0 10.3 11.3 9.3 10.3 12.3 
			  Number 50,000 95,000 75,000 56,000 82,000 54,000 95,000 74,000 48,000 629,000 
			 
			 Q3 2000 Percentage 21.9 15.8 16.9 15.4 15.9 12.2 15.2 11.2 10.5 14.5 
			  Number 59,000 112,000 89,000 69,000 86,000 63,000 132,000 90,000 49,000 749,000 
			 
			 Q2 2000 Percentage 22.6 13.2 14.3 13.7 13.6 10.2 14.9 8.5 9.2 12.8 
			  Number 62,000 93,000 74,000 60,000 75,000 52,000 130,000 67,000 42,000 655,000 
			 Base: 16 to 24-year-olds, England  Source: Labour Force Survey

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to support and promote provincial and district level governance in Afghanistan outside the Kabul district.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development.

Belarus

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next plans to visit Belarus to discuss  (a) bilateral relations and  (b) broader global issues.

Chris Bryant: I currently have no plans to visit Belarus. These issues are discussed regularly at official level. My predecessor, the then Minister for Europe, my right hon. Friend the Member for Don Valley (Caroline Flint) met the Belarasian Prime Minister Sergei Sidorsky when he visited the UK in November 2008.

Belarus

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the state of relations between Belarus and the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: Our interest is to see Belarus contribute to the long term stability of the region in which it is situated. We believe this would best be achieved through further political and economic reform, and to that end we seek to encourage a stronger relationship between Belarus and the EU, which would include closer alignment to European standards and values. We recognise, at the same time, that Belarus has a close co-operative relationship with the Russian Federation. In line with other EU member states, we continue to base our political relationship on the need for the respect for basic human rights and political freedoms, and regularly raise issues of concern.
	On the economic side, bilateral trade and investment are very small. We have welcomed Belarus's engagement with international organisations, including the International Monetary Fund and World Bank as the basis for much needed economic reform. At a human level, the UK has a memorandum of understanding in place with Belarus on respite visits for children suffering from the effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and we offer a small number of scholarships each year through the Chevening Programme which allows Belarusian citizens the opportunity to study at UK higher educational institutions.

Belarus

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political situation in Belarus.

Chris Bryant: The political situation in Belarus remains very restrictive. We are concerned by the lack of recognition by the authorities that the existence of an opposition is a vital part of a properly functioning democracy. Presidential elections in 2006 were described by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) election observation mission as
	severely flawed due to the arbitrary use of state power and restrictions on basic rights
	and no opposition politician obtained a seat in Parliament at the last parliamentary elections in September 2008.
	Local elections are due in spring 2010, and presidential elections are due before February 2011. I welcome the Belarusian decision to discuss electoral reforms with the OSCE. This is a step in the right direction. We and the international community will be watching developments carefully in the run up to these elections.

Cameroon: Corruption

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of corruption in the judicial system in Cameroon; and what discussions he has had with the Cameroon government on the matter.

Ivan Lewis: Cameroon is rated 146 of 180 countries on the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2009. While reliable information on corruption in the judicial system in Cameroon is difficult to obtain, the system is widely acknowledged as inefficient, leading to high levels of corruption. Our high commission in Yaoundé co-ordinates with other diplomatic missions and multinational organisations on anti-corruption measures, and together give political direction to a programme of technical assistance to the Government of Cameroon (the CHOC programme).

Cameroon: Nature Conservation

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the extent of wildlife trafficking in Cameroon; and what discussions he has had with the Cameroon government on the matter.

Ivan Lewis: We are in contact with a number of organisations and individuals involved in the fight against wildlife trafficking in Cameroon, including through the Last Great Ape Organisation (LAGA), a Cameroonian non-government organisation that has received Government funding. LAGA works closely with the Cameroonian Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife Protection to enforce laws on wildlife trafficking and achieved the first prosecutions in Cameroonian courts for wildlife trafficking offences.
	The Cameroonian law enforcement authorities have had some notable successes in recent months in intercepting illegal shipments of wildlife. In November 2009, our High Commissioner met the Minister for Forestry and Wildlife Protection and underlined the importance we place on sustained government efforts to identify, interdict and prosecute wildlife trafficking.

Caribbean: Drugs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to encourage rehabilitation programs for drug addicts serving prison sentences in the British Caribbean Overseas Territories.

Chris Bryant: In Anguilla, all prisoners identified with a substance misuse problem are offered drug services after their arrival in prison. There are also plans that early in 2010 the services of a local drug counsellor, currently employed by the education authority, will visit the prison to facilitate group work. The resident prison counsellor offers one-to-one sessions for substance abusers and this is reinforced by the rehabilitation department who offer drug awareness training. The prison's change manager, a former UK prison governor who was appointed in June 2009, has drafted a strategic plan for the prison which will include access to improved drug and general rehabilitative services.
	In the British Virgin Islands a drugs counsellor visits the prison on a regular basis to run group sessions with prisoners with drug abuse issues, working in conjunction with the prison's resettlement department and its internal counsellor. Subject to funding in the next financial year, the British Virgin Islands prison adviser, a former UK prison governor who was recruited in early 2009, has a proposal to increase the number of hours of both group and individual drug work with prisoners.
	The Cayman Islands has a well developed and well resourced drug programme, both within prison and in the community. The introduction of drug courts has sought to divert from prison those who do not need to be incarcerated and who can undergo rehabilitation in the community.
	In Montserrat the prison has recently established a formal process for external drug workers to visit the prison on a regular basis. Although the numbers of prisoners with drug abuse issues are small, the sessions are aimed at all prisoners in order to provide awareness of the issues associated with drugs.
	In the Turks and Caicos Islands a drug worker continues to visit the prison regularly, to hold both group and individual sessions. The Overseas Territories prison reform co-ordinator has held a number of meetings locally in recent months with the aim of seeking to progress both prison and community based drug rehabilitation, linked to sentencing amendments. It is hoped that this issue will progress in 2010.

Chile: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Chile.

Chris Bryant: The Government's chief objective is to deepen the already excellent bilateral relationship which was greatly bolstered during 2009 through visits by HRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and through the first ever visit by a serving Prime Minister. We will seek an early opportunity to arrange the next round of our existing High Level Political Talks once the new Chilean Government takes office in March 2010. We aim to work with the Chilean military to capitalise on its experience in UN and peace-keeping operations in Haiti, Bosnia and Cyprus through a continuing programme of high-level staff visits. We will also continue to promote a growing bilateral trade, commercial and investment relationship with Chile, while advocating a similar pro-market stance in international trade talks. The UK's overriding aim is to be a partner of choice for Chile in key international and public policy issues of mutual concern.

China: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of the People's Republic of China.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex to The UK and China: A framework for engagement that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs launched in January 2009. A copy of this is available on our UK in China website at:
	http://ukinchina.fco.gov.uk/en/
	In this we set out three overarching objectives:
	(a) to get the best for Britain from China's rise;
	(b) to foster China's emergence as a responsible global player; and
	(c) to promote sustainable development, modernisation and internal reform within China.

China: Prisoners

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek to secure the release of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche from the Chinese authorities.

Ivan Lewis: We are aware of Tenzin's case and are concerned for his well-being. I raised this case most recently during my visit to China in September 2009 where we included Tenzin's name as part of an individual case list, which was handed over during the visit.
	The Chinese responded at the end of my visit that:
	on 23 January 2003, Sichuan Provincial High People's Court reviewed and approved Tenzin's death sentence with a two-year suspension of execution and life deprivation of political rights for the crimes of bombing and instigating secession. On 26 January 2005, Sichuan Provincial High People's Court decided to commune his punishment to life imprisonment and life deprivation of political rights. He is now jailed in the Chuandong Prison of Sichuan Province.
	We will continue to raise this case at every appropriate opportunity.

Colombia: Overseas Trade

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2009,  Official Report, column 420W, on Colombia: overseas trade, if he will make it his policy to withdraw from the negotiation of a free trade agreement with Colombia.

Chris Bryant: No.

Colombia: Trade Unions

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2009,  Official Report, column 770W, on Colombia: trade unions, what reports his Department has seen on the number of trade unionists murdered in Colombia in the last 12 months; and how many murders are referred to in each such report.

Chris Bryant: In terms of formal cumulative reports, the Colombian Presidential Programme for Human Rights reports a total of 28 murdered trade unionists from January to November 2009 (down from 34 in the same period in 2008). Alternatively, the Escuela Nacional Sindicalista reports 36 trade unionists killed from 1 January to 30 November 2009 (against a total of 49 recorded for the whole of 2008).
	We receive representations throughout the year from UK trade unions and non-governmental organisations about the number of murdered trade unionists in Colombia. Statistics tend to be based on a calendar year, rather than on a 12 month basis.

Departmental Billing

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what proportion of invoices submitted to his Department have been paid within 10 days in each month since October 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr. Prisk) on 15 June 2009,  Official Report, column 72W. The figures since June 2009 are:
	
		
			  Invoices paid within 10 days 
			   Number  Percentage 
			 June 2009 4,009 86.0 
			 July 2009 4,195 91.1 
			 August 2009 3,689 93.5 
			 September 2009 3,866 96.6 
			 October 2009 4,120 95.2 
			 November 2009 4,038 96.9

Departmental Legislation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criminal offences have been  (a) created and  (b) abolished by secondary legislation sponsored by his Department since 1 May 2008.

Chris Bryant: For the United Kingdom, 29 offences have been created altogether by The Iran (United Nations Sanctions) Order 2009 (SI 2009/886), The North Korea (United Nations Sanctions) Order 2009 (SI 2009/1749) and The North Korea (United Nations Sanctions) (Amendment) Order 2009 (SI 2009/3213) and nil offences have been abolished by secondary legislation sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 1 May 2008.
	For the overseas territories, 43 offences have been created altogether by The International Criminal Court Act 2001 (Overseas Territories) Order 2009 (SI 2009/1738), The Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) (Amendment) Order 2008 (SI 2009/3125), The North Korea (United Nations Measures) (Overseas Territories) (Amendment) Order 2009 (SI 2009/1746), The Burma (Restrictive Measures) (Overseas Territories) Order 2009 (SI 2009/3008) and The Export of Goods, Transfer of Technology and Provision of Technical Assistance (Control) (Overseas Territories) (Amendment) Order 2009 (SI 2009/3212) and 23 offences were abolished by secondary legislation sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office since 1 May 2008.

Departmental Responsibilities

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what factors determine the allocation of questions for written answer to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Rhondda; and on what issues  (a) within and  (b) outside his listed Ministerial responsibilities he will answer questions.

Chris Bryant: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State answers questions tabled by the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) and the hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr. Davey). He answers questions from all hon. Members on security matters.
	Questions are allocated to me in accordance with my responsibilities, which are listed on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/who-we-are/our-ministers/c-bryant:
	European Union; Europe, including Balkans, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova; Russia, South Caucasus, Central Asia; OSCE and Council of Europe; Overseas Territories; South America; Australasia and Pacific; Consular policy; Olympics; human resources and diversity; Public Diplomacy, including British Council and BBC World Service; Shanghai Expo 2010; and Protocol. I also answer questions on the Caribbean and Central America and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers will on occasion answer questions on behalf of their colleagues, for example if a Minister is travelling.

Hezbollah

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to apply any conditions in respect of the abandonment of the use of force by Hezbollah in his Department's contacts with Hezbollah politicians.

Ivan Lewis: The UK's policy towards contact with Hezbollah remains unchanged. Our objective is that Hezbollah reject violence and play a constructive, democratic and peaceful role in Lebanese politics, in line with UN Security Council Resolutions. We believe that occasional and carefully considered contacts with Hezbollah's politicians, including its MPs, will best advance this goal.
	Any contacts will take place on a case by case basis. We are only interested in serious dialogue with Hezbollah and about issues of national importance to Lebanon and the region.

Honduras: Politics and Government

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 14 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 772-73W, on Honduras: politics and government, for what reasons the UK did not send a representative to observe the recent presidential election in Honduras.

Chris Bryant: There was no UK or EU observation mission to monitor the presidential elections in Honduras on 29 November 2009 because the Tegucigalpa/San José Accord was not fully implemented ahead of the elections.
	Following the elections the EU issued a statement expressing that the lack of implementation of the accord brought about an electoral process under abnormal circumstances. However the UK noted that they were held in a largely peaceful manner. We continue to call for full implementation of the agreement and political reconciliation ahead of the transfer of power to the President-elect on 27 January 2010, and stand ready to work with the new Government to restore democratic order in the country.

India: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of India.

Ivan Lewis: The Government already enjoys constructive relations with India across a broad range of bilateral, regional and global issues. We aim to develop close bilateral co-operation with India on education, trade, investment and development. We will also continue to engage the Indian Government on our strategic priorities in South Asia, recognising India's pivotal role in the region. UK and India are already working closely to address various global challenges which include promoting global economic stability, reducing the impact of climate change and tackling the threat of terrorism.

Indonesia: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Indonesia.

Ivan Lewis: The UK has strong bilateral relations with Indonesia and continues to look for opportunities to further strengthen this partnership.
	The UK and Indonesia co-operate across a broad range of foreign policy priorities including climate change, counter-terrorism and the prevention of radicalisation and the promotion of UK trade and investment. We also remain engaged with the Indonesian authorities on human rights and conflict prevention, reform of international institutions, global economy and co-operation in defence and education.

Iran: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Iran.

Ivan Lewis: Our objective is to encourage Iran away from confrontation and suspicion of the west. We and our international partners have serious concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions, its regional role in supporting terrorism and promoting instability, and its denial of the rights to which its own people aspire.
	Iran's human rights record has deteriorated rapidly in 2009, and is arguably the worst it has been in 20 years. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary issued a statement on 28 December 2009 calling on the Iranian Government to respect the human rights of its people after several protesters were killed in clashes in Iran. We will continue to urge Iran to respect these rights, which are enshrined in international agreements to which Iran is party, and in the Iranian constitution.
	On the nuclear dossier we continue to follow a two track approach which offers Iran the opportunity for cooperation with the international community but increased pressure if Iran is unwilling. Given Iran's lack of positive engagement so far, further consideration will need to be given to sanctions targeted against the Iranian regime.

Jordan: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Jordan.

Ivan Lewis: Our policy towards Jordan remains one of firm support for its security and stability, and for the economic and political reform envisioned in its National Agenda of 2005. We count Jordan among our firmest friends and value the contribution it makes to resolving and averting regional conflicts. This is covered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices (FCO) sixth Departmental Strategic Objective (DSO), preventing and resolving conflict. We encourage British business investment in Jordan (FCO's DSO number 2, supporting the British economy), and through both the embassy and British Council we invest also in developing Jordan's human capacity.

Offenders

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employees of his Department and its agencies have been convicted of a criminal offence of each type in each year since 1997.

Chris Bryant: The number of employees convicted of a criminal offence since 1997 is five. However, as their were less than five convictions in each of the years in question, details are not provided to avoid revealing the identity of individuals and on grounds of confidentiality

Official Hospitality

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent by his Department on greeting foreign dignitaries arriving at Heathrow airport in each of the last three years.

Ivan Lewis: The requested information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Olympic Games 2012

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1036W, on Olympic Games 2012, how many heads of state and government he expects to visit the UK during the London 2012 Olympics; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of hosting such visitors.

Chris Bryant: Based on the experience of Beijing and previous Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, we are expecting more than 100 Heads of State and Government to visit the UK for the Games. Their principal costs will be met by the body that invites and hosts them, usually their respective National Olympic Committee or National Paralympic Committee.

Oman: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Oman.

Ivan Lewis: Oman is an important partner for the UK. We share exceptionally close political and defence links. We are committed to maintaining and enhancing our strong relationship.
	To that end, we are working with the Government of Oman to encourage it to take a full and active role in regional stability and security issues. We will promote the benefits of a low carbon, high growth economy. We will continue to provide effective support to UK civil, defence and security interests; and to provide high quality consular assistance to British citizens living in, and travelling to, Oman.
	Through the work of the British Council in Oman, we are expanding our support in the fields of education and training, and deepening cultural links.

Peru: EU External Trade

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what provisions of the proposed free trade agreement between Peru and the EU govern the protection of the Amazonian rainforest; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: We believe that the EU-Andean multiparty trade agreement under negotiation with Peru will encourage EU investment in the economy and the further spread of EU standards in corporate and social responsibility. The Government regard trade agreements as important for economic growth and prosperity in developing countries, helping to reduce the poverty that is often the driver of conflict, displacement and human rights abuse.
	The UK remains committed to environmental conservation and protecting the rights of indigenous communities. We have frequent discussions with Peru on these issues. During my visit to Peru in October 2009, I, as Minister for Latin America, met members of the multi-sector committee working to strengthen consultation mechanisms with indigenous groups on the development of the Peruvian Amazon, as well as with a cross-section of domestic and international organisations working on environmental issues in Peru. I offered the Government's support to the Peruvian Government as they seek to strengthen Peru's legal framework for protecting the Amazon. We are engaging with Peru's Environment Minister on his commitment to reduce Peru's deforestation to zero by 2019.

Peru: EU External Trade

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with  (a) his EU counterparts and  (b) the European Commission on the effects on the indigenous Amazonians of the proposed free trade agreement between the EU and Peru.

Chris Bryant: Officials from the UK Representation to the EU in Brussels have been in continuous liaison with the European Commission throughout the negotiations-including on the UK's commitment to environmental conservation and protecting the rights of indigenous communities across the Latin American region-via representation to the Article 133 Committee (now the Trade Policy Committee, since entry into force of the Lisbon treaty) and associated meetings in Brussels.

Qatar: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Qatar.

Ivan Lewis: The UK continues to look for opportunities to further build our relationship with the State of Qatar to the benefit of both countries.
	We work closely with the State of Qatar on political matters, including the Qatari led mediation on Sudan/Darfur, and to promote and enhance regional security. Qatar is a leading partner for the UK's energy requirements and we share an excellent relationship in this field based on mutual co-operation, highlighted in May 2009 with the opening of the South Hook liquid natural gas terminal by Her Majesty the Queen and His Highness The Emir of Qatar.
	More widely, our work with the State of Qatar includes the promotion and enhancement of the excellent trade and economic links between our countries; the enhancement educational, cultural and sporting co-operation and to support the growing number of British citizens living in Qatar.

Russia: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of the Russian Federation.

Chris Bryant: We aim to have a strong and uncompromising relationship with the Russian Federation, based on mutual respect, a shared commitment to enhanced prosperity, greater equality and respect for the rule of law and human rights as it is clearly in the UK's and Europe's interest to engage with, rather than isolate, Russia.
	Russia is an important partner, including at the UN, in the G8 and the G20. We need to work together on tackling climate change, enhancing trade relationships and energy security, and on shared foreign policy objectives, including Afghanistan, promoting peace in the Middle East, combating the proliferation of nuclear weapons and developing security in our shared neighbourhood. The Government welcome President Medvedev's focus on the need to strengthen the rule of law in Russia. Implementation of this agenda would significantly enhance Russia's ability to meet the standards it set itself when it joined organisations such as the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. The Government would like to see a strong and dependable Russia with which we and our partners can do business on a range of global challenges. That means a Russia which plays a responsible international role, and which keeps to the international commitments it has made, including in relation to energy supplies to Ukraine and EU member states, in relation to human rights in Chechnya and across Russia and in relation to Georgia.

Saudi Arabia: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Saudi Arabia.

Ivan Lewis: Saudi Arabia is a key ally in a strategically important region. It is an important partner in trade and investment, education, counter terrorism, defence and energy security. We are committed to maintaining and developing the relationship.
	Saudi Arabia is the UK's largest trading partner in the Middle East. It is the UK's 23(rd) largest export market overall, with visible exports worth over £2.3 billion in 2008, and significant two-way investment flows. Over 16,000 British citizens live and work there and a further 120,000 travel annually to perform the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimages. Around 20,000 Saudis come to the UK as students each year, and many others visit for business and tourism: we issued over 90,000 visas this year. We will continue to develop and strengthen these long established commercial, educational and cultural ties.
	We will continue to co-operate closely with Saudi Arabia to counter the spread and threat of terrorism. Saudi Arabia has significant influence in the Muslim world, not least as the location of Islam's two holiest places and a centre of Islamic culture. Co-operation under the Prevent agenda is an important aspect of countering radicalisation in the UK and other countries key to the counter terrorism effort.
	We will continue to work with Saudi Arabia to encourage it to take a full and active role in international institutions and on global issues such as climate change, the Middle East peace process and regional stability. We will also continue to work with the Saudi Government towards greater respect of human rights within Saudi Arabia.

Shipping: Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish legal advice  (a) obtained and  (b) considered by his Department in the last two years on the application of the minimum wage to seafarers sailing between UK ports.

Ivan Lewis: The Government's legal advice on this issue is clear, and was reflected on a number of occasions in several different communications between Ministers and representatives of the trade union movement-i.e. that under international law, a coastal state may not legislate in respect of foreign-flagged vessels which enjoy the right of innocent passage in the territorial sea, as provided in the UN convention on the law of the sea. This is a right enjoyed globally by UK-flagged vessels. We are equally clear that this right also applies to foreign-flagged vessels travelling between two UK ports, and that to apply the national minimum wage in such circumstances would not be consistent with customary international law of the sea.

Somalia: Politics and Government

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the United Nations on the situation in Somalia.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met the President of Somalia, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, in the margins of the UN General Assembly in September 2009 to discuss the situation in Somalia, including progress towards a political settlement and the security situation. The UK has an intense working relationship with the UN on Somalia, in New York, Nairobi and elsewhere. There are ongoing discussions in the UN on Somalia in a range of forums, in particular the Security Council, covering issues such as sanctions on obstacles to peace and security, piracy and UN support to the African Union mission in Somalia.

St. Helena

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the net migration rate for St. Helena was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Bryant: Responsibility for immigration in St. Helena rests with the Government of St. Helena who hold the required information.

Sudan

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on trends in the numbers of  (a) shootings and  (b) kidnappings of peacekeepers and humanitarian workers in Darfur and the surrounding region; and what steps he plans to take in consequence.

Ivan Lewis: We strongly condemn the attacks of 4 and 5 December 2009 which killed five Rwandan peacekeepers and brought to 22 the number of African Union-UN mission in Darfur (UNAMID) personnel killed since 1 January 2008. There has also been a worrying increase in the number of kidnappings in Darfur and the surrounding region. Two civilian UNAMID peacekeeping staff were released on 13 December 2009 after more than three months of being held hostage. Four humanitarian workers kidnapped in Darfur and the border regions of Chad and the Central African Republic remain in captivity: one has now been held for over two months.
	We closely monitor levels of insecurity and lawlessness in Darfur. These remain high. The UK continues to work closely with both UNAMID and Chief Mediator Bassolé as well as with international partners and the Government of Sudan towards creating a stable and secure Darfur. We have committed in excess of £100 million to improving UNAMID's deployment and operational capacity, and we strongly press all parties to give it the space to fulfil its full mandate. We call for the immediate release of the four international aid workers who remain in captivity.

Sudan: Politics and Government

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the security situation in south Sudan following violent incidents in December 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 November 2009,  Official Report, column 431W.
	We are very concerned by the continuing insecurity in south Sudan as a result of tribal violence and activity by the Lord's Resistance Army. This has serious implications for stability in the region and for the safety of the people of south Sudan. It also undermines implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in Sudan.

Tzipi Livni

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for UK-Israel relations of the decision by Westminster magistrates to issue an arrest warrant for Mrs Tzipi Livni.

Ivan Lewis: Israel continues to be a strategic partner and a close friend of the UK. We shall continue to foster a close relationship with Israel and are determined to protect and develop these ties. Israeli leaders-like leaders from other countries-must be able to visit the UK.

Tzipi Livni

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with the government of Israel concerning former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's proposed address to the Jewish National Fund Conference on 13 December 2009.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke with the Israeli Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, and Tzipi Livni herself on 15 December 2009. He also met the Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor. During these discussions he set out his view that Israeli leaders-like leaders from other countries-must be able to visit and have a proper dialogue with the Government.
	The Government are looking urgently at ways in which the UK system might be changed in order to avoid this sort of situation arising again.

USA: Extradition

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment the UK Mission to the US has made of facilities in US federal prisons to provide care for a person extradited from the UK who has acute Asperger's syndrome and related clinical depression  (a) during custody before trial,  (b) after trial and before sentencing and  (c) after sentencing; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Before an individual is extradited to the United States, the US authorities may assess their medical and mental health (based on medical records) to help them identify the most suitable detention facility. An individual will also be assessed on arrival at the detention facility. During the period between extradition and sentencing, the detainee will remain under the care of the US Department of Justice. After sentencing, the individual will come under the authority of the US Bureau of Prisons who again will evaluate any individual medical needs in order to identify the most suitable detention facility.
	Where appropriate we will consider seeking assurances from the US authorities that any individual's medical needs will be taken into consideration.

Vietnam: Foreign Relations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what aims and objectives he has set for UK foreign policy in respect of Vietnam.

Ivan Lewis: Based on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Departmental Strategic Objectives for 2009-10 our embassy in Hanoi and Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City have a Country Business Plan that focuses on the following foreign policy objectives:
	Market access for UK companies and a trade policy that ensures Vietnamese compliance with World Trade Organisation obligations.
	Support for managed migration from Vietnam while reducing intake, and to increase the number of Vietnamese immigration offenders removed from the UK.
	To support Vietnam in achieving sustainable economic growth, including a transition to a low carbon economy.
	To assist Vietnam to play an active role on international issues and in international institutions.
	A sustained improvement in Vietnam's civil and political human rights record, in line with its international commitments and its objective of long-term sustainable development.
	To deliver high quality Consular support for British nationals in Vietnam.
	To provide knowledge, access and influence to help our Partners Across Government deliver their objectives in Vietnam.
	These objectives are set out in more detail on the UK in Vietnam website:
	http://ukinvietnam.fco.gov.uk/en/working-with-vietnam/bilateral-relations/objectives-09

Western Sahara: Fisheries

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the owners of UK fishing vessels who are issued with permits to fish in the waters of Western Sahara are provided with guidance on the status of that area.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I have been asked to reply.
	Owners of vessels that fish in the waters of Western Sahara under the EU/Morocco Fisheries Agreement are not issued with guidance about the status of the area.

TREASURY

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Peter Luff: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the cost of replacing all programme making and special events equipment that will be rendered redundant as a result of the clearance and sale of the digital dividend spectrum; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Ofcom have estimated the costs for the residual value of programme making and special events (PMSE) equipment that will be affected by the changes in channel 69, taking into account the relevant life of the equipment and has made these available to the Department. Figures have also been provided by representatives of PMSE users, based on a new for old approach and the costs of clearing all the channels affected. The Government are currently reflecting on proposals by PMSE users for full new for old compensation, in the light of the notice, in some cases extensive, provided by Ofcom of these changes.

Enhanced Capital Allowance Energy Scheme

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he plans to amend the categories of equipment eligible for support under the Enhanced Capital Allowance Energy Scheme; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what change to the level of funding allocated by his Department to the Enhanced Capital Allowance Energy Scheme he anticipates in 2010-11.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There is no predetermined level of spending for the enhanced capital allowances scheme for energy efficient products or any other capital allowances scheme. The Government determine whether the scheme should be altered or expanded on the basis of annual recommendations made by the Department for Energy and Climate Change on the merits of the particular technology, and as assessment of the value for money of the proposal, considered in terms of the scheme's overall policy objectives.
	Budget 2009 contained detail on updates to the level of support for the recent changes to the qualifying criteria for the scheme. New products are added monthly as manufacturers seek approval for their products to be included in the scheme.

Enhanced Capital Allowance Energy Scheme

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will amend the information provided to purchasers of capital equipment about the Enhanced Capital Allowance Energy Scheme in order to encourage take-up of the Scheme.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information about enhanced capital allowances is presently provided by the Carbon Trust at:
	www.eca.gov.uk
	by HMRC at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/camanual/CA23140.htm
	and more recently by Business Link at:
	http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail/r.s=scr.l1=1079068363.lc=enr.l3=1074403838r.l2= 1082899752type=RESOURCESitemld=1074404607
	Business Link is a key source of information on the benefits the Government provides to encourage the purchase of energy efficient equipment.
	The Carbon Trust frequently consults with industry to further encourage take-up of the scheme.

Gift Aid

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what charities received gift aid payments; and how much was paid by the Exchequer in Gift Aid to each such charity in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: For reasons of taxpayer confidentiality, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) cannot provide details of Gift Aid repayments to individual charities.
	The amount of tax repaid to charities in the UK on donations under Gift Aid are published in table 10.1 on the HMRC website at:
	www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/charities/menu.htm

Written Questions: Government Responses

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer question  (a) (i) 307171, (ii) 307172 and (iii) 307173 on the Pre-Budget Report and  (b) 307174, on interest rates, tabled by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead on 9 December.

Ian Pearson: I have now replied to the right hon. Member's questions and apologise for the delay in doing so.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Departmental Contracts

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many small and medium-sized firms are contracted to her Department; and how long on average her Department has taken to settle their invoices in the six months to 30 November 2009.

Jim Knight: As part of our Commercial Strategy, DWP tracks the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) the Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies does business with in each financial year and the amount it spends with each supplier. In 2008-09 the number of SMEs that had contracts with the Department was 9,212 and the total expenditure with them was £429.7 million or 11.2 per cent. of total DWP procurement expenditure in the year. The latest available figures for 2009-10 are 4,902 SME firms and spend with them of £321 million or 12 per cent. of total procurement expenditure in the period April to end November 2009.
	DWP signed the Prompt Payment Code in March 2009 and is meeting its target to pay 90 per cent. of all correct invoices within 10 days, figures for November 2009 were 97 per cent.. DWP does not isolate invoice settlement times for SME invoices and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Local Housing Allowance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants were in receipt of local housing allowance in excess of  (a) £385 per week and  (b) £965 per week in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available.

Helen Goodman: On average in 2009, 50 people were in receipt of weekly local housing allowance in excess of £965 and 3,290 people were in receipt of weekly local housing allowance in excess of £385.
	 Notes
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Figures were derived by taking the monthly average in 2009 from January to September.
	 Source
	Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE): January 2009 to September 2009

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will ensure a substantive reply is sent to the letter of 28 October 2009 from the hon. Member for Walsall North to the Head of Carer's Allowance concerning a constituent.

Jonathan R Shaw: A substantive response was issued on 15 December 2009.

Motability: East Sussex

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many vehicles were  (a) purchased and  (b) leased by people resident in (i) Lewes constituency and (ii) East Sussex under the Motability Scheme in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: Motability is an independent charitable company and is responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme. They have agreed to write separately to the hon. Member with such information as they have available.

Pensioners: Poverty

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate has been made of the number of  (a) pensioners and  (b) children in Nottingham North constituency who have been lifted out of poverty since 1997.

Angela Eagle: Estimates of poverty for both pensioners and children are published in the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series. These figures only allow a breakdown of the overall numbers in poverty at Government office region level. Therefore, information is not available for the Nottingham North constituency.
	Estimates of the number of pensioners and children who have been lifted out of poverty are not available, as each year different households are surveyed to produce low income statistics in the Households Below Average Income series. However, information is available about the net change in the number of pensioners and children with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary median income over the period requested for the East Midlands Government office region.
	The Government use a basket of three key thresholds of income, after housing costs, to measure pensioner poverty. The most commonly used poverty figures relate to those with incomes below 60 per cent. of contemporary household median income after housing costs.
	The latest information for the East Midlands Government office region is based on three-year averages and changes are rounded to the nearest 100,000. It shows that the number of pensioners in poverty in the East Midlands fell by 100,000 between 1997-98 to 1999-2000 and 2005-06 to 2007-08.
	The public service agreement to halve child poverty by 2010-11 on the way to eradicating it by 2020 uses a headline indicator of the proportion of children in households with an income below 60 per cent. of contemporary household median income before housing costs.
	The latest information for the East Midlands Government office region is based on three-year averages and changes are rounded to the nearest 100,000. It shows that the number of children in poverty remained at the same level between 1997-98 to 1999-2000 and 2005-06 to 2007-08.
	A local child poverty indicator-including constituency level information-has been developed to try and replicate this national measure as closely as possible. It captures the number and proportion of children in families in receipt of out of work benefits, or in receipt of tax credits where their reported income is less than 60 per cent. of median income. Details can be found via the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/child_poverty.htm
	 Notes
	1. These statistics are based on Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data, sourced from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The reference period for FRS figures is single financial years. Three sample years have been combined for regional statistics as single year estimates are subject to volatility.
	2. Small changes in estimates from year to year, particularly at the bottom of the income distribution, may not be significant in view of data uncertainties.
	3. Changes between periods are calculated based on unrounded figures and then rounded to the nearest 100,000. Therefore they may differ from the difference between the rounded figures available in the Households Below Average Income publication.

Pensions: Expenditure

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much expenditure from the public purse on pensions was as a percentage of gross domestic product in the latest period for which figures are available; and what estimate has been made of the equivalent figure in  (a) 2030,  (b) 2040 and  (c) 2050.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	The 2009 Long-term public finance report sets out long-term projections for state pension and public sector pension expenditure as a proportion of GDP. This can be found on the HMT website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/prebud_pbr09_longtermfinances.htm

Social Security Benefits: Lewes

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former claimants of jobseeker's allowance in Lewes constituency have moved on to receive  (a) pension credit,  (b) a training allowance,  (c) the self-employment credit and  (d) funding from the Future Jobs Fund in each month of the last two years.

Jim Knight: Data on people who flow off jobseeker's allowance onto pension credit are not collated centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information on the number of people who have flowed off jobseeker's allowance onto the self-employment credit or into a Future Jobs Fund job in Lewes constituency is not available.
	The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of jobseeker's allowance claimants in Lewes constituency who have flowed off jobseeker's allowance onto Government supported training schemes in each month of the last two years 
			   Number of claimants 
			 December 2007 20 
			 January 2008 5 
			 February 2008 10 
			 March 2008 15 
			 April 2008 10 
			 May 2008 5 
			 June 2008 5 
			 July 2008 5 
			 August 2008 10 
			 September 2008 10 
			 October 2008 (1)- 
			 November 2008 5 
			 December 2008 10 
			 January 2009 5 
			 February 2009 5 
			 March 2009 5 
			 April 2009 10 
			 May 2009 10 
			 June 2009 15 
			 July 2009 10 
			 August 2009 (1)- 
			 September 2009 (1)- 
			 October 2009 (1)- 
			 November 2009 (1)- 
			 (1 )Nil or negligible.  Notes:  1. Data are rounded to the nearest five.  2. This information is published on the Nomis website at www.nomisweb.co.uk 3. The percentage of people leaving with an unknown destination recorded has increased over the last 10 years. This is because the completion levels of the JSA40 (forms filled in by people leaving jobseeker's allowance) have decreased over this period. This should be taken into account when interpreting these statistics, as many of these 'unknown' leavers will have moved into employment or other benefits.  Source:  Count of unemployment-related benefits, Jobcentre Plus computer systems (computer held cases only).

Social Security Benefits: Payments

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of benefit payments to people resident in Chesterfield constituency were paid into a Post Office card account in each of the last five years.

Helen Goodman: The figures are not available in the format requested.
	The following table shows the number and percentage of benefit accounts paid into a Post Office card account (POca) in the Chesterfield constituency in each of the last five years. Benefit accounts will have multiple transactions and may include payment of more than one benefit.
	
		
			   All POca  Percentage paid by POca 
			 2005 10,400 27 
			 2006 10,180 26 
			 2007 9,670 25 
			 2008 9,180 23 
			 2009 8,920 22 
			  Source: DWP, Information Directorate, 100 per cent. data

Voluntary Work

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been referred for volunteering under the Volunteering Plus Scheme; and how many people have started on a volunteering scheme.

Jim Knight: The number of referrals to the volunteering element of the six month offer is not available.
	On 14 October 2009, we released official statistics on the number of jobseeker's allowance customers taking up the volunteering element of the six month offer. This shows that between April 2009 and July 2009, 1,180 people started on the volunteering scheme. Provisional data for August show that a further 930 people started on the scheme.
	The next quarterly statistical release for the six month offer will be published in January 2010.

CABINET OFFICE

10 Downing Street: Shops

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many  (a) oven gloves,  (b) aprons,  (c) teddy bears and  (d) wallets have been sold in the Downing Street gift shop in the last 12 months.

Angela Smith: A small selection of unsubsidised gifts are available for staff to purchase on a not-for-profit basis.

Death: Stroud

David Drew: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the  (a) diagnosis and  (b) mortality rate for (i) chronic lung disease, (ii) coronary heart disease and (iii) cancer was in Stroud constituency in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated December 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked for to reply to your recent question asking what the (a) diagnosis and (b) mortality rate for (i) chronic lung disease, (ii) coronary heart disease and (iii) cancer was in Stroud constituency in each of the last 10 years. (309130)
	Figures on newly diagnosed cases (incidence) of chronic lung disease and coronary heart disease are not readily available. Mortality and incidence rates for parliamentary constituencies which do not share boundaries exactly with a local authority can be calculated only from 2001 onwards. The tables below provide (a) the age standardised cancer incidence rate and (b) age standardised mortality rates for (i) chronic lung disease, (ii) coronary heart disease and (iii) cancer in Stroud parliamentary constituency for the years 2001 to 2007 (the latest available).
	Parliamentary constituency population estimates on which these rates are based are experimental statistics, that is, statistics which are in a testing or consultation phase, and therefore should be treated with caution.
	
		
			  Table 1: Age-standardised cancer incidence rates( 1,2) , Stroud parliamentary constituency( 3) , 2001 to 2007( 4,5) 
			   Cases per 100,000 
			 2001 398 
			 2002 317 
			 2003 323 
			 2004 375 
			 2005 343 
			 2006 382 
			 2007 418 
			 (1) Age-standardised cancer registration rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the European Standard Population. Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages. (2) Cancer incidence defined using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes C00-C97 excluding code C44: non-melanoma skin cancer. (3) Based on boundaries and postcode allocation, as of 2009. (4) Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. (5) Parliamentary constituency population estimates used to calculate the incidence rates are experimental statistics. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Age standardised mortality rates for chronic lung disease, coronary heart disease and cancer( 1,2) , Stroud parliamentary constituency( 3) , 2001 to 2007( 4) 
			  Deaths per 100,000 
			   Chronic lung disease  Chronic heart disease  Cancer 
			 2001 23 122 178 
			 2002 28 127 162 
			 2003 29 103 175 
			 2004 21 100 156 
			 2005 23 82 161 
			 2006 26 89 158 
			 2007 22 80 156 
			 (1) Age-standardised mortality rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the European Standard Population. Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages. (2) Cause of death was defined using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes J40-J47for chronic lung disease, 120-125 for coronary heart disease and C00-C97 for cancer. (3) Based on boundaries and postcode allocation, as of 2009. (4) Parliamentary constituency population estimates used to calculate the incidence rates are experimental statistics.

Departmental Billing

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of the invoices submitted to  (a) her Department and  (b) the Prime Minister's Office have been paid within 10 days in each month since October 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: Data recording invoices paid within 10 days of receipt have been kept only since November 2008. This followed the Prime Minister's announcement, in October 2008, that in future Government Departments would aim to pay invoices within 10 days. The following data relate to the Cabinet Office as a whole (the Prime Minister's Office forms an integral part of the Cabinet Office):
	
		
			   Percentage of invoices paid within 10 days  Number of invoices paid within 10 days 
			 November 2008 51 1,303 
			 December 2008 54 803 
			 January 2009 56 1,045 
			 February 2009 57 1,045 
			 March 2009 70 1,867 
			 April 2009 94 652 
			 May 2009 95 806 
			 June 2009 97 1,735 
			 July 2009 89 780 
			 August 2009 96 1,274 
			 September 2009 92 1,326 
			 October 2009 96 1,575 
			 November 2009 90 1,427 
		
	
	Prior to November this information was not recorded and it is available only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Energy

Paul Holmes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the energy efficiency rating is for each of her Department's buildings in London.

Angela Smith: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) 10 December 2009,  Official Report, column 594W.

Divorce: Stroud

David Drew: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate she has made of the number of divorces granted in courts in Stroud district in the last 12 months.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated December 2009:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question requesting what estimate has made of the number of divorces granted in courts in Stroud district in the last 12 months. (309136)
	Divorce statistics are based upon information supplied to ONS by the courts in England and Wales. The fact that a divorce has taken place in a court in a particular region does not mean that either one or both parties are resident there. Therefore, divorce statistics have been historically presented at a national level only.

Government Departments: ICT

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will initiate a review of the potential effect of the practices of Government departments in respect of the use of data sticks on the risk of importing viruses and spyware into Government IT systems.

Angela Smith: The Data Handling Review (DHR) requires that Departments conduct independent penetration testing of their systems to protect against hacking and other forms of malicious attack including malware and viruses. In addition, the Security Policy Framework (SPF; published by the Cabinet Office in December 2008) sets out the mandatory protective security requirements that all Departments are required to adhere to, covering all aspects of physical, personnel and information/data security. The policy guidance is available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/spf.
	SPF Mandatory Requirement (MR) 39 requires that Departments have effective information security policies and procedures in place which must include policies preventing unauthorised access to ICT systems and the effective prevention of virus and spyware attacks. Detailed (often protectively marked) technical guidance is available to help Departments implement these requirements, including material developed by CESG, the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance (part of GCHQ).

Hotels

David Drew: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many hotel room nights were booked by officials in  (a) her Department and  (b) its agency in each year since 2007; and how much (i) her Department and (ii) its agency spent on the fees of third party agents in booking hotel accommodation in each of those years.

Angela Smith: The information requested for the Cabinet Office is not readily available and may not be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate she has made of the  (a) cost to the public purse and  (b) likely duration of the Iraq Inquiry.

Tessa Jowell: We anticipate that the cost of the Iraq inquiry will be comparable with previous similar Privy Counsellor inquiries. It is too soon to know the full costs, but the Government are committed to publishing the costs in due course. The Prime Minister said in his statement to the House on 15 June 2009 establishing the inquiry that he expected that the inquiry will take at least a year.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what costs other than staffing costs incurred on the preparation of Government briefing papers had been incurred in respect of the Iraq Inquiry on the latest date for which figures are available.

Tessa Jowell: A number of Government Departments are providing papers to the Iraq Inquiry. The costs of doing this will be met from within existing budgets.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office according to what scale allowances are paid to  (a) members of and  (b) witnesses called to give oral evidence to the Iraq Inquiry.

Tessa Jowell: The members of the Iraq Inquiry are paid at the following rates: Chairman-£790.00 per day; Committee members-£565.00 per day. Witnesses who are current or former Ministers, civil servants or military officers may claim reasonable travel costs and out of pocket expenses for attending evidence sessions in line with standard departmental entitlements and rates.

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many officials of each grade are employed to provide support for the Iraq Inquiry during its oral evidence sessions.

Tessa Jowell: The breakdown by grade of the 19 staff in the Iraq Inquiry secretariat is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Senior civil service 4 
			 Band A (grade 6 and 7) 8 
			 Band B2 (HEO/SEO) 3 
			 Band B1 (EO) 2 
			 Band C (AO) 2 
		
	
	It is for the inquiry, which is independent, to decide how it deploys its staff across its areas of work. In addition to the staff in the secretariat, the inquiry has engaged five temporary administrative and security staff from recruitment agencies to assist with the running of the oral hearings.

Life Expectancy: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average life expectancy for  (a) men and  (b) women in each constituency in Gloucestershire (i) is and (ii) was in (A) 1999, (B) 1989 and (C) 1979.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated December 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the average life expectancy for (a) men and (b) women in each constituency in Gloucestershire (i) is and (ii) was in (A) 1999, (B) 1989 and (C) 1979. (309131)
	Period life expectancies at birth for (a) males and (b) females for all local authority districts and unitary authorities in England and Wales, for rolling three-year periods from 1991-93 to 2006-08, are published on the National Statistics website at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=8841
	Life expectancy figures at parliamentary constituency level are not readily available.

Marriage and Civil Partnerships: Stroud

David Drew: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many  (a) marriages and  (b) civil partnerships there were in Stroud district in the last 12 months.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated December 2009:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question requesting how many (a) marriages and (b) civil partnerships there were in Stroud district in the last 12 months. (309134)
	National and sub-national figures on the number of (a) marriages and (b) civil partnership are not yet available for the last twelve months. Figures are available for previous years, but sub-national figures are not published at district level.
	Figures are available for Gloucestershire, and using the most recent period for which figures are available, (a) the number of marriages in 2006 was 3,474 and (b) the number of civil partnerships in 2008 was 72.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Chichester (Mr. Tyrie) of 3 December 2009,  Official Report, column 975W, on Ministerial policy advisers: contracts, which Ministers have such policy advisers in their private offices.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not held centrally.

Population: Gloucestershire

David Drew: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what projections she has made of the population of each district in Gloucestershire in  (a) 2010,  (b) 2015,  (c) 2020 and  (d) 2025.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated December 2009:
	.
	The subnational population projections are demographic trend-based projections that indicate what the population levels of an area are likely to be if recently observed trends in fertility, mortality and migration were to continue. They take no account of future policies or developments which may affect trends.
	The projections you requested are provided in Table 1 below. They are 2006-based Subnational Population Projections which were published by the Office for National Statistics on 12 June 2008.
	
		
			  Table 1: Population projections for the districts in Gloucestershire 
			  Thousand 
			  LA  2010  2015  2020  2025 
			 Cheltenham 114 117 120 123 
			 Cotswold 86 89 93 96 
			 Forest of Dean 83 86 88 91 
			 Gloucester 117 122 126 131 
			 Stroud 113 117 121 126 
			 Tewkesbury 81 84 88 91

JUSTICE

Animal Welfare: Convictions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions for animal cruelty there have been in courts in East Sussex in each year since 1996.

Claire Ward: Information showing the number of defendants found guilty at all courts for offences involving animal cruelty, in the Sussex police force area from 1996 to 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
	Court proceedings data are not available separately for East Sussex.
	Data for 2008 are planned for publication on 28 January 2010.
	
		
			  Number of offenders found guilty at all courts for animal cruelty offences( 1) , Sussex police force area, 1996 to 2007( 2,3) 
			   Number 
			 1996 32 
			 1997 65 
			 1998 74 
			 1999 48 
			 2000 46 
			 2001 45 
			 2002 47 
			 2003 55 
			 2004 32 
			 2005 41 
			 2006 27 
			 2007 17 
			 (1) The offences of animal cruelty are covered by the following acts; The Protection of Animals Act 1911, Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Performing Animals (Regulations) Act 1926, Protection of Animals Act 1934, Docking and Nicking of Horses Act 1949, Pet Animals Act 1951, Cockfighting Act 1952, Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 1954, Animal Health Act 1981, Slaughterhouses Act 1974, Abandonment of Animals Act 1960, Animal and Animal Products (Import and Export) Regulations 1998, Animals (Cruel Poisons ) Act 1962, Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963, Riding Establishments Acts 1964 and 1970, Slaughter of Poultry Act 1967, Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1968, Badgers Act 1973, Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996, Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act 2000, the Fur Farming (Prohibition) Act 2000 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006. (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice

Corruption: Convictions

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many UK-registered companies have been prosecuted in the UK for bribery and corruption in the last five years.

Claire Ward: Information held centrally on the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database for England and Wales does not identify where a company, proceeded against at magistrates courts, is registered.
	Information for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Office respectively.

Departmental Official Cars

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of providing official cars for the use of  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in the last 12 months.

Jack Straw: The provision of official cars for Ministers and the permanent secretary is the responsibility of the Government Car and Dispatch Agency (GCDA) managed by the Department for Transport. In July this year the Department for Transport published a written ministerial statement that lists the costs of providing each Government Department with ministerial cars and drivers for 2008-09. I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by the Under-Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Gillingham (Paul Clark), on 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 80WS. That statement showed that the cost to the MoJ for ministerial cars in 2008-09 was £310,600.
	Since 1 April 2009 the Ministry of Justice publishes on a quarterly basis the business costs for each Director General on the MoJ internet site. This includes the cost of the official car for the Permanent Secretary (which is also used by other senior officials). That information can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/moj-business-costs-0809.htm

Driving Offences: Sentencing

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions for  (a) offences of drink driving and  (b) each other motoring offence resulted in a custodial sentence in (i) Lewes constituency, (ii) Sussex and (iii) England in each of the last 10 years.

Claire Ward: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 2 December 2009,  Official Report, column 790W.

Elections

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals on  (a) voting age,  (b) a referendum on using the alternative vote for elections to the House of Commons and  (c) voting rights for prisoners.

Michael Wills: I can confirm that  (a) the Government are considering the recommendations made by the Youth Citizenship Commission in relation to lowering the voting age but has no current plans to legislate,  (b) the Prime Minister has set out our commitment to a referendum being held early in the next Parliament for the people to decide whether they want to move to the Alternative Vote system for elections to the House of Commons, for which legislation will be required and  (c) the Government are carefully analysing the responses to the second stage consultation on the voting rights of prisoners detained in the UK and will consider the next steps once this has concluded.

Elections: Local Government

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many elections there were in each ward of Vale of Clwyd constituency in each year since 1996.

Michael Wills: The following national elections have taken place in each ward of the Vale of Clwyd constituency since 1996:
	(i) UK Parliamentary General Elections-1997, 2001 and 2005;
	(ii) European Parliamentary Elections-1999, 2004 and 2009;
	(iii) Welsh Assembly Elections-1999, 2003 and 2007.
	In addition, full local government elections (County and Town/Community Councils) took place across each of the wards of the Vale of Clwyd constituency in 1999, 2004 and 2008.
	Information regarding by-elections at county council level is not held centrally. While Denbighshire county council are unable to provide records of by-elections per ward pre 2000, we understand that the following Town/Community by-elections took place in the following wards since 2001:
	
		
			   Ward 
			 2001 Prestatyn North 
			 2002 Prestatyn East, Rhyl South, and St. Asaph West 
			 2003 Dyserth(1) 
			 2004 No by-elections 
			 2005 Prestatyn East, Rhyl South East and Tremeirchion(1) 
			 2006 Prestatyn South West 
			 2007 Denbigh Upper/Henllan (Henllan), Rhyl East, Rhyl South, St. Asaph East 
			 2008 Rhyl West 
			 2009 Prestatyn Central, Rhyl West 
			 (1) Denotes an uncontested election (only one valid nomination received). 
		
	
	Denbighshire county council have also confirmed that county council by-elections took place in Rhyl South West in 2002 and Rhyl South East in 2003.

Housing: Sales

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many residential property transactions with a purchase price between £125,000 and £175,000 have been recorded by the Land Registry as having been completed since the implementation of the increase in the stamp duty threshold.

Michael Wills: The number of residential property transactions with a purchase price between £125,000 and £175,000 recorded by the Land Registry in England and Wales between the implementation of the increase in the stamp duty threshold on 3 September 2008 and 30 November 2009 (which are the latest data for which figures are available) is 180,808.

Life Peers

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent representations he has received on proposals to allow life peers to renounce their peerage and stand for election to the House of Commons.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice has received a number of letters on the provisions in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill on resigning from the House of Lords and on disclaiming the peerage.

Public Procurement

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what information his Department holds for benchmarking purposes on how other EU member states are implementing article 45 of the 2004/EC/18 European Directive on Public Procurement, relating to mandatory exclusion.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	HM Treasury does not hold information for benchmarking purposes on how other EU member states are implementing Article 45 of the 2004/18/EC European Directive on Public Procurement. However, the European Commission does collect data on the ways that EU member states are implementing Article 45.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Reconstruction

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to support and promote provincial and district level governance in Afghanistan outside the Kabul district.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) provides financial assistance to four programmes which support improved provincial and district level governance in Afghanistan. In Helmand, DFID is providing up to £9.8 million over four years alongside £14.5 million from the UK Stabilisation Aid Fund to improve local governance, including the setting up and working of community councils and an improved traditional justice service. DFID is also providing £2.4 million over two years for community management and development initiatives in the Lashkar Gah municipality of Helmand.
	The two further programmes were approved in December 2009 and will provide support across the entire country. DFID will provide up to £23 million over five years for the Afghanistan Subnational Governance Programme to improve local government service delivery by training provincial and district governors, staffing up and restructuring their offices and building basic management systems nationwide. Furthermore, over four years DFID will provide up to £9.5 million for the Governors' Performance Improvement Programme which will provide a performance-based operational budget to all 34 provincial governors.

International Development: Mandatory Exclusions

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which  (a) organisations and  (b) individuals are prohibited from working with his Department following allegations of involvement in fraudulent or corrupt activity; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The policy of the Department for International Development (DFID) is to exclude organisations or individuals from contract award where they have been convicted of fraudulent or corrupt activity, as required by the Mandatory Exclusion clause of the Public Sector and Utilities Procurement and EU directives.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many TALON bomb disposal robots the Army has in Afghanistan.

Quentin Davies: TALON is not yet deployed, but when it is deployed in the next few weeks it will be used in a route clearing role in support of Counter-Improvised Explosive Device (C-IED) operations. For reasons of operational security, I am unable to reveal how many of these pieces of equipment will be available. However, I can give an assurance that sufficient numbers will be available for operational purposes in theatre, and for pre-deployment training in the UK.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many handheld bomb detectors the Army has in Afghanistan.

Quentin Davies: For reasons of operational security, I am unable to reveal how many handheld metal detectors the Army has in Afghanistan. However, I can give an assurance that the numbers available are sufficient to ensure that no foot patrol is conducted in theatre without them. We will continue to deliver new equipment to theatre, including handheld metal detectors, as quickly as possible.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilian agency  (a) medical,  (b) nursing and  (c) paramedical staff are employed at the hospital at Camp Bastion.

Bob Ainsworth: As at 22 December 2009, there are eight nursing and one medical civilian agency staff employed at the UK hospital at Camp Bastion. There are currently no paramedical staff.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the replacement of the two CH-47 helicopters recently destroyed in Afghanistan will be funded from the Treasury Reserve.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Secretary of State for Defence gave during the oral statement on the Future Defence programme on 15 December 2009,  Official Report, column 810, to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn).

Armed Forces: Bomb Disposal

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many explosive ordnance disposal officers there are in the armed forces;
	(2)  how many armed forces personnel are trained to operate TALON bomb disposal robots.

Bill Rammell: Explosive ordnance disposal officers are highly skilled and specialised members of the armed forces and are employed operationally both in the United Kingdom and overseas. I am withholding the information on the numbers of personnel and those trained to operate TALON bomb disposal robots as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Armed Forces: Catering

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many chefs in uniform there were in  (a) the Royal Navy,  (b) the Army and  (c) the Royal Air Force in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The following table shows numbers of regular serving chefs in the naval service, Army and Royal Air Force, each year, since 1997.
	
		
			  1 April  each year  Naval service  Army  Royal Air Force 
			 1997 1,640 2,360 850 
			 1998 1,550 2,420 770 
			 1999 1,450 2,500 710 
			 2000 1,350 2,380 670 
			 2001 1,350 2,380 630 
			 2002 1,180 2,250 600 
			 2003 1,170 2,180 630 
			 2004 1,170 2,240 680 
			 2005 1,060 2,320 760 
			 2006 1,120 2,400 730 
			 2007 1,170 2,420 690 
			 2008 1,120 2,380 680 
			 2009 1,070 2,420 660 
			  Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Armed Forces: Food

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the average cost of providing a meal to a member of the armed forces when on duty in the latest period for which figures are available.

Kevan Jones: The current daily budget allowance for feeding armed forces personnel on operations, known as the Operational Daily Messing Rate (ODMR) is £3.45. To provision three meals a day, the cash value of the ODMR is allocated to meals on the following percentage basis:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Breakfast 15 
			 Main meal 50 
			 Third meal 35

Armed Forces: Health Services

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many service personnel resident in  (a) Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency,  (b) the Highlands and  (c) Scotland his Department has purchased accelerated access to (i) NHS and (ii) private treatment in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: Accelerated access is a term used by the MOD in the context of physical illnesses and injuries. It is separate to the specific fast track arrangements for orthopaedic treatment and separate provision is also made for access to in-patient care for mental health conditions.
	Secondary health care accelerated access for service personnel is commissioned through the NHS. In England, contracts have been established with six selected NHS Trusts (located in areas of significant military population) to purchase accelerated access for elective referrals in a faster time scale than NHS standard target times, when this is necessary to meet operational requirements. There are no such formal arrangements with private sector providers for physical conditions.
	If these routes would not produce timely access to treatment, then the MOD would pay for accelerated access to care from facilities in Scotland on a case-by-case basis. Cases where this has been done are not recorded centrally, and details could be obtained only from an individual search of medical records, which could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The most common medical conditions in military patients are musculo-skeletal disorders. Since April 2004, for patients with these conditions, we have arranged rapid access to diagnosis and, for the minority who are then found to need it, surgery in NHS facilities, thus enabling the services to respond to the current high operational tempo and return personnel to full fitness for task when this is clinically deliverable. In Scotland, patients will usually be assessed first by the military Regional Rehabilitation Unit (RRU) in Edinburgh, from where they will be referred if necessary for fast track orthopaedic surgery. Numbers of referrals are readily available only from 1 October 2005. The following table shows the number of referrals for fast track orthopaedic surgery made by RRU Edinburgh, 1 October 2005 to 10 December 2009.
	
		
			  Date  Referrals 
			 1 October to 31 December 2005 30 
			 1 January to 31 December 2006 90 
			 1 January to 31 December 2007 62 
			 1 January to 31 December 2008 69 
			 1 January to 10 December 2009 88 
		
	
	Referrals between October 2005 and September 2008 would have been to the Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit, Northallerton. Referrals after September 2008 to date have been to the Nuffield Hospital in Glasgow.

Armed Forces: Housing

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of accommodation units of each  (a) type and  (b) number of bedrooms his Department will require for service personnel based at HM Naval Base Clyde and their families in each of the next 10 years;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to build new accommodation units at each location of each  (a) type and  (b) number of bedrooms in the Argyll and Bute constituency in each of the next 10 years;
	(3)  what plans his Department has to  (a) renovate and  (b) dispose of accommodation units in Argyll and Bute constituency.

Kevan Jones: Following the announcement on 6 May 2009 of the Maritime Change Programme, an assessment study is under way to identify the future accommodation requirements of the Royal Navy. Until this work is completed, the future of all accommodation at HM Naval Base Clyde has yet to be decided, including decisions on renovation and disposal of living accommodation.

Armed Forces: Housing

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many accommodation units at each location of each  (a) type and  (b) number of bedrooms his Department owns in Argyll and Bute constituency; and whether each unit is occupied.

Kevan Jones: There are currently 2,260 single living accommodation bedspaces at HMNB Clyde. However, records are not kept centrally to indicate whether a bedspace is occupied at any point in time.
	There are a total of 515 service family accommodation properties at HMNB Clyde, broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Type  Number of bedrooms  Total  Occupied  Void 
			  Officers 
			 II (Rear Admiral, Commodore) 2 x double and 2/3 x single 5 5 0 
			 III (Captain RN, Commander) 2 x double and 2 x single 38 21 17 
			 IV (Lt. Commander) 2 x double and 2 x single 16 8 8 
			 V (Lieutenant and below) 2 x double and 1 x single 30 19 11 
			  
			  Other ranks 
			 D 3 x double and 1 x single 36 29 7 
			 C 2 x double and 1 x single 244 162 82 
			 B 2 x double 146 85 61 
		
	
	In addition, there are a further 80 temporarily unused maisonettes at Rhu.
	As announced on 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 16WS, as part of the Maritime Change Programme it has been decided that HM Naval Base Clyde will become the main operating base for all classes of submarine, including the future classes such as the replacement for the Vanguard Class, as well as for eight Sandown Class Mine Countermeasure Vessels. The future use of accommodation at HM Naval Base Clyde is being considered as part of an assessment study to identify the best way to deliver the future accommodation requirements of the Royal Navy. Until this work is completed, no decisions have been made about the future of living accommodation at the naval base, including renovation and disposal options.

Armed Forces: Manpower

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 522-24, on armed forces: manpower, how many personnel in each infantry battalion were unfit for combat duty on the latest date for which figures are available.

Bill Rammell: The Ministry of Defence does not categorise service personnel according to their fitness for combat duty. We can, however, provide information on the number of personnel who are, for whatever reason, currently either not considered deployable or only deployable in a limited range of roles. This information is reflected in the following table.
	These figures include individuals who are non-deployable for both medical and non-medical reasons. Some of those classified as having limited deployability may be able to perform in combat roles, provided suitable medical support is available in theatre.
	Non-medical reasons for non-deployability include soldiers under age 18 and compassionate or disciplinary cases.
	The figures given include personnel filling all roles within each battalion, not just infantrymen.
	As at 1 October 2009, the figures were:
	
		
			  Division  Unit  Number not fully deployable 
			 Guards 1 Grenadier Guards 127 
			  1 Coldstream Guards 130 
			  1 Scots Guards 166 
			  1 Irish Guards 137 
			  1 Welsh Guards 172 
			
			 Scots 1 Scots 137 
			  2 Scots 118 
			  3 Scots 135 
			  4 Scots 117 
			  5 Scots 82 
			
			 Queens 1 Princess of Wales Royal Regiment 167 
			  2 Princess of Wales Royal Regiment 106 
			  1 Royal Regt Fusiliers 127 
			  2 Royal Regt Fusiliers 147 
			  1 Royal Anglian 110 
			  2 Royal Anglian 134 
			
			 Kings 1 Lancs 149 
			  2 Lancs 78 
			  1 Yorks including Gurkha Reinforcement Company 3 133 
			  2 Yorks 145 
			  3 Yorks 136 
			
			 Prince of Wales 1 Mercian including Gurkha Reinforcement Company 2 91 
			  2 Mercian 121 
			  3 Mercian 142 
			  1 Royal Welsh 95 
			  2 Royal Welsh 179 
			
			 Rifles 1 Rifles 148 
			  2 Rifles 183 
			  3 Rifles 130 
			  4 Rifles 191 
			  5 Rifles 165 
			
			 Royal Irish 1 Royal Irish 113 
			
			 Para 2 Para 131 
			  3 Para 110 
			
			 Royal Gurkha Rifles 1 Royal Gurkha Rifles 76 
			  2 Royal Gurkha Rifles 89 
		
	
	In addition to the battalions shown above, there are three incremental Guards companies which are primarily for public duties but which can also be used to augment the other Guards battalions as required.
	
		
			  Unit  Number not fully deployable 
			 Nijmegen Coy Grenadier Guards 14 
			 7 Coy Coldstream Guards 12 
			 F Coy Scots Guards 21

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on mental health care services for armed forces personnel in  (a) Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency,  (b) the Highlands and  (c) Scotland in each year since 2001.

Kevan Jones: The MOD has 15 Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs) in the UK (with additional centres in Germany, Cyprus and Gibraltar), which have since 2004 provided out-patient mental healthcare for members of the armed forces. Three of these are in Scotland: at RAF Leuchars, RAF Kinloss and HM Naval Base Faslane. Armed forces personnel based in the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency who require mental health services will generally be referred to the DCMH at RAF Kinloss, which is a few miles to the east of Inverness in the adjacent constituency of Moray.
	Responsibility for individual management of the DCMHs is shared between the single service commands, and it is not possible to separate out costs from overall unit medical budgets. Each service funds its respective DCMHs differently, with funding provision coming from a number of areas. Due to the number of budgets to which costs would be attributable, any detailed study of DCMH finances would incur disproportionate costs.

Armed Forces: Nutrition

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what research his Department has commissioned on the nutritional status of servicemen  (a) in theatre and  (b) returning from theatre;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the minimum daily intake of calories required by an infantry soldier on active service in Afghanistan;
	(3)  what arrangements exist to monitor the health of service personnel whose diet has been limited solely to field rations for more than the recommended continuous exposure period; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the number of members of the armed forces living off field rations beyond the recommended continuous exposure periods; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what arrangements exist to monitor exposure to field rations beyond recommended limits; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what the recommended time limit is on exposure to each in-use type of field rations; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 7 December 2009
	 The health of armed forces personnel on operations is subject to a continuous process of evidence gathering and monitoring. Two specific programmes of work are currently being undertaken to ensure that the food provided for the armed forces on operations is nutritionally fit for purpose: the Surgeon General's Armed Forces Feeding Project (SGAFFP) and the Surgeon General's Casualty Nutrition Study (SG CNS).
	The SGAFFP is looking at MOD nutrition and feeding policy across the three services, both pre-deployment in UK-based units and during overseas deployments. In parallel, the SG CNS is examining dietary intake, change in body shape/body composition, micronutrient status and physical fitness before, during and after an operational deployment in healthy personnel and in those who experience combat trauma.
	Ensuring that deployed personnel have the right food to provide them with the nutritional intake they need to carry out their operational roles involves much more than just making sure there is plenty of it available at all times. The SGAFFP study is collecting data on actual energy expenditures of personnel undertaking operational roles and on analyses of the tasks being undertaken and work-rest patterns. It will also gather data on changes in body shape (i.e. height, body mass, skin-folds and body girths), physical fitness and dietary intake. In addition, contextual data are being collated describing logistic supply chains and information describing the accessibility and desirability of food provision.
	A preliminary review of initial work undertaken, which specifically collated data from personnel undertaking the more physically demanding operational roles under hot environmental conditions, has found no evidence to suggest that personnel in general are being underfed. Although supply chains may at times become compromised such that fresh rations are limited or not available, this has not prevented adequate provision of food to personnel on the frontline, including in 24-hour ration packs. A full analysis of the measurements is progressing.
	Joint Service Publication (JSP) 456-Defence Catering Manual-Volume One (Catering Management) Chapter Eight (Operational Catering) contains extensive guidance on the provision of a nutritious and wholesome diet in a range of different operational environments, including the use of Operational Ration Packs (ORP) when operational constraints prevent other types of feeding.
	There is no recommended continuous exposure period for ORP, which consist of a range of components that are nutritionally balanced to provide all the macro and micro nutrients that troops may need while on deployment. ORP is normally limited to the first 44 days of an operation, and it would be normal practice to move from ORP to ambient/fresh feeding as early as possible in any deployment, operational circumstances permitting. There is no evidence to date that longer use of ORP where the operational tempo precludes fresh/ambient rations has had any detrimental effect on the cognitive or physical performance of troops, although this is one of the issues that is being looked at in the studies described above.

Armed Forces: Nutrition

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many servicemen returning from service in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan have been diagnosed with each type of nutritional ailment in each year since 2003.

Bill Rammell: The total number of individuals who were diagnosed with nutritional ailments while serving in the armed forces and are currently still serving is not held centrally, and could be obtained only by examining the medical records of all personnel. This could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Parcels

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many delays there were in the delivery of parcels to British troops in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Germany in each month of 2009.

Bill Rammell: We have not identified any major issues with the delivery of HM forces mail to Afghanistan during 2009. Delivery of mail to Afghanistan and movement around theatre is affected by a number of factors, including the availability of transport assets, the security situation, and a higher priority being given to essential supplies such as ammunition and food. It is therefore possible that some delays may occur either before post enters the British forces post office (BFPO) system or during transit to, or within, theatre but detailed and reliable information on this is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	All mail, including parcels, that arrive in BFPO London are processed within 24 hours so there is no delay in any parcels being dispatched to Germany.

Armed Forces: Theft

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2009,  Official Report, column 902W, on armed forces: theft, what equipment was stolen in respect of each guilty/proven verdict.

Bob Ainsworth: Information from the three services' and Ministry of Defence police's databases for thefts of Ministry of Defence equipment is shown in the following table. Each line reflects one offence. The severity of the sentences reflects the past records and previous convictions of the individuals involved, as well as the nature of the offence itself.
	The information provided pertains solely to thefts of MOD equipment and does not include those cases where the item stolen was not identified as belonging to the MOD.
	Information in the years before 2004 is not comprehensive as records relating the RAF personnel could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Year-No. of  G uilty/proven verdicts  Item(s) stolen 
			 1999-15 Guilty/proven verdicts  
			 Police Caution Army video camera 
			 Fined £100 Taking a vehicle without consent 
			 Dismissal and 60 days detention Taking a vehicle without consent 
			 Fined £1200 Taking a vehicle without consent 
			 Fined £250 Aggravated taking of a vehicle 
			 112 days detention and pay suspended to the amount of £1,500 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident 
			 Dismissal and eight months and 26 days detention Two Abloy keys 
			 Dismissal and pay suspended to the amount of £239.07 Taking a vehicle without consent 
			 Fined £500 Two Maglite torches 
			 Reduced in rank Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in damage. 
			 140 days detention and pay suspended to the amount of £212.17 14 twenty litre cans of petrol 
			 14 days Restriction of privileges TV set 
			 Dismissal and Reduced in rank Removal of classified documents and 9mm magazine 
			 82 days detention and pay suspended to the amount of £32.61 Bayonet 
			 14 days Restriction of privileges TV set, sleeping bags and jackets 
			  2000-11 Guilty charges  
			 12 months probation and 100 hours community service, £55 costs and disqualified from driving for 12 months. Minibus 
			 Fined £400 and internal disciplinary action taken Two replica pistols and a diving knife 
			 60 hours community rehabilitation over 18 months and £250 costs Various weapons including shotguns. 
			 Dismissal and 165 days detention, pay suspended to the amount of £1075 and Reduced in rank Unspecified MOD equipment 
			 Fined £160 Two Land Rover door panels 
			 112 days detention Two instances of taking a vehicle without consent. 
			 140 days detention and pay suspended to the amount of £1,500 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident. 
			 Nine months detention and £1,000 compensation. Aggravated taking of a vehicle 
			 112 days detention and pay suspended to the amount of £383.94 Misuse of military vehicle 
			 Dismissal Computer software 
			 Six months and 24 days detention and pay suspended to the amount of £140 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident. 
			  2001-17 Guilty charges  
			 Six Months imprisonment Two smoke grenades and 5 x rockets 
			 59 days detention and reduced in rank Two automatic rifles 
			 28 days detention Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident. 
			 Fined £750 Removal of pistol without consent 
			 Fined £600 Taking a vehicle without consent 
			 Fined £350 Taking a vehicle without consent and without appropriate permits and insurance 
			 Severe Reprimand-mitigated by the Appropriate Review Authority to admonishment Four charges of entering into an agreement for the conditional sale of 4 bugles and 1 drum 
			 Dismissal and 135 days detention Two helmets, two swords, buckskin trousers and breast plate. 
			 Seven months detention and pay suspended to the amount of £1,427.17 Aggravated taking of a vehicle 
			 Six months detention Aggravated taking of a vehicle 
			 Dismissal and six months detention Burglary from store 
			 Fined £500 Aggravated taking of a vehicle 
			 Fined £500 Aggravated taking of a vehicle 
			 Dismissal, 165 days detention and Reduced in rank Unspecified MOD equipment 
			 Dismissal Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident. 
			 82 days detention and Reduced in rank Live rounds, shotgun cartridges, two training grenades 
			 Reduced in rank and pay suspended to the amount of £2,000 Aggravated taking of a vehicle 
			  2002-15 Guilty/proven verdicts  
			 Fined £1,050 and pay suspended to the amount of £12.66 Batteries 
			 14 days extra work and drills Respirator 
			 140 days detention and pay suspended to the amount of £1,250 Aggravated taking of a vehicle 
			 112 days detention Equipment including-Armbands, Gerber knife, baton, handcuffs, batteries 
			 Six months detention Taking vehicle without consent 
			 180 days detention Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in damage 
			 42 days detention and pay suspended to the amount of £106.50 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident 
			 Fined £1,000, Severe reprimand, and pays suspended to the amount of £6,043.08 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident 
			 Fined £500 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident 
			 112 days detention Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident 
			 Fined £1,000 and pay suspended to the amount of £1,000 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in damage 
			 Fined £500 Caught in act of burglary 
			 Reduced in rank Multi tool and pouch 
			 Dismissal, 122 days detention and pay suspended to the amount of £100 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in damage 
			 Fined £650 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in damage 
			  2003-22 Guilty/proven verdicts  
			 Dismissal and 42 days detention and pay suspended for 318 days Mobile telephone 
			 Fined £300 Two electric hand lights, and 60 photographic prints 
			 Dismissal and 80 days detention and pay suspended to the amount of £158.15. Fuel 
			 Dismissal and three months detention Computer components 
			 Dismissal and 66 days detention Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident 
			 Six months forfeiture of seniority and Reprimand Taking a vehicle without consent 
			 Admonished Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident 
			 Fined £50 and pay suspended to the amount of £200 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident 
			 Fined £750 Taking a vehicle without consent 
			 Admonished Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in damage 
			 Pay suspended to the amount of £2,830.08 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident 
			 Dismissal and two years detention and Reduced in rank Rifle breech bolts and various live rounds 
			 56 days detention Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident 
			 112 days detention Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident 
			 Fined £450 Taking a vehicle without consent 
			 Fined £750 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident 
			 28 days detention Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in damage 
			 42 days detention Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in damage 
			 Reduced in rank Taking a vehicle without consent 
			 Fined £650 Taking a vehicle without consent 
			 Fined £650 Taking a vehicle without consent 
			 Reduced in rank In possession of rifle without lawful authority 
			  2004-13 Guilty/proven verdicts  
			 Fine of £1200 Caught in act of burglary 
			 28 days detention and paid stopped to the amount of £373.22 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident 
			 Reduced in rank Diesel fuel 
			 Fined £500 Taking a vehicle without consent 
			 28 days detention and Reduced in rank Camera 
			 26 days detention and Reduced in rank Camera 
			 140 days detention Aggravated taking of a vehicle 
			 Reduced in rank and fined £4000 Unspecified MOD equipment 
			 28 days detention and compensation of £3,000 paid Aggravated taking of a vehicle 
			 Fined £250 Blank ammunition 
			 Dismissal Money and memorabilia 
			 Police caution Two military boots 
			 Police caution Two hot weather jungle boots 
			  2005-15 Guilty/proven verdicts  
			 Dismissal and six months detention £800 
			 Dismissal and 84 days detention Six boxes of spanners 
			 11 months detention and Reduced in rank Laptop computer, camcorder and flat screen TV 
			 Dismissal, one year detention suspended and Reduced in rank Seven susat sights, two clansman casings, 89 various batteries, 32 cylumes and one image intensifier tube 
			 Dismissal, imprisoned six months and Reduced in rank £564.40, £89.15 and computer system 
			 Fine £300 Live and blank rounds, magazines, susat site, and gas plug and flash eliminator 
			 42 days detention In possession of pistol and magazine without authority 
			 28 days detention Ammunition 
			 Pay suspended to the amount of £1,000 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in damage 
			 84 days detention and pay suspended to the amount of £160 Fuel 
			 Dismissal and six months detention Computer equipment 
			 Police caution Two Army Radios 
			 Seven years and six months imprisonment Browning 9mm pistol 
			 12 months community order, 80 hours community service and £1,105.52 paid in compensation. Various firearms, including SA80 rifle. 
			 Fined £400 RAM memory stick 
			  2006-32 Guilty/proven verdicts  
			 56 days detention 15 pairs of high-tech magnum boots 
			 Dismissal, imprisoned five years and 252 days and Reduced in rank Rifle 
			 112 days detention and pay suspended to the amount of £500 Taking of vehicle without consent 
			 Pay suspended to the amount of £1,200 Aggravated taking of a vehicle resulting in an accident 
			 Dismissal and imprisoned for four years and 339 days Two SA80 rifles 
			 Dismissal and six months detention Fuel 
			 84 days detention Services from Northern Rail Network 
			 Reduced in rank 30 high-tech magnum boots 
			 Reduced in rank 30 high-tech magnum boots 
			 Reduced in rank Sleeping bag, bivvi bag, two Combat 95 Shirts, three Combat 95 Trousers, four Live SA80 Magazines, Weapons Cleaning Kit, Poncho, Body Armour, Helmet, Helmet Cover, Gortex Jacket, Gortex Trousers, Desert Combat Body Armour Cover 
			 Reduced in rank Duplicate Iraq zone 1 medal 
			 Dismissal Two laptop computers 
			 Dismissal and 18 months detention Two motorcycles, and Land Rover and trailer 
			 112 days detention Land Rover and trailer 
			 Dismissal and five years and four months imprisonment Pistol 
			 Dismissal and five years and eight months imprisonment and Reduced in rank Pistol 
			 Dismissal and five years imprisonment Makarov 9mm pistol 
			 Fined £1,500 Ammunition 
			 Six months detention, suspended for one year and Reduced in rank Component part of a firearm-regulator assembly(gas plug) 
			 Fined £300 Sabre 500,000 volt stun baton 
			 Fined £1,000, pay suspended to the amount of £1,500 Various items of Service property 
			 Dismissal, eight years imprisonment and Reduced in rank Components of firearms 
			 Fined £1,000 Computer base units 
			 Dismissal Medicines 
			 Fined £504, five days extra work and pay stopped for 30 days Socket set and taking a vehicle without consent 
			 120 days detention Hand tool 
			 56 days detention Body armour and night vision goggles 
			 Police caution Camcorder 
			 Final warning 7.62mm cartridges 
			 12 months imprisonment Live ammunition, pyrotechnics and explosives 
			 Fined £490 Landrover 
			 Fined £650 Landrover 
			  2007-33 Guilty/proven verdicts  
			 Fined £500 Seven iPods, one Sony music player, one MP3 player, one digital camera, 600 x cigarettes and one Stella Artois bottle. 
			 Reduced in rank Security seals 
			 Fined £400 30 litres of diesel 
			 Admonished Infringing copy of a copyright work 
			 Dismissal, 11 months and one day detention and Reduced in rank Two cameras and accessories 
			 Admonished Aggravated vehicle taking resulting in an accident 
			 Dismissal and Imprisoned for seven years and five months 9mm pistol and two magazines 
			 Six months detention Day sack, hi-tec desert boots, crampons, optimus fuel bottle, extremities gloves, alpine scarf, gloves, solar shower, white socks, pan set, primus omnifuel stove, two rope clamps, two rolls of velcro, fleece shirt, jacket, waterproof suit, duvet jacket, micro stove. 
			 88 days detention and Reduced in rank Aggravated vehicle taking resulting in an accident 
			 88 days detention Aggravated vehicle taking resulting in an accident 
			 Fined £3,000 and Reduced in rank Vehicle Trailer Box Body 
			 Fined £650 Taking a vehicle without consent 
			 Fined £1,000 and pay suspended to the amount of £650 Aggravated vehicle taking resulting in an accident 
			 Dismissal and 18 months detention Aggravated vehicle taking resulting in an accident 
			 Dismissal and nine years and 174 days imprisonment Pistols topslides, assorted working parts and ammunition 
			 Dismissal and nine years and 263 days imprisonment Pistols, topslides, assorted working parts and ammunition 
			 Fined £1,800 and Reduced in rank Ammunition-two signal kit pyrotechnic pistols and 16 flares 
			 One day detention Ammunition 
			 Dismissal and 30 days detention Aviation equipment 
			 150 days detention and pay topped to the amount of £424 Arms and ammunition 
			 Dismissal, 90 days detention and Reduced in rank Overhead projector 
			 105 days detention and fined £2000 Deactivated drill rifles 
			 Dismissal and 140 days detention Mobile phone 
			 Reprimand, fined £250 and pay suspended to the amount of £639.29 Aviation clothing 
			 Fined £563 and 14 days extra work Two combat shirts 
			 Fined £100 Ration boxes 
			 42 days detention Items from dry provisions store 
			 42 days detention Items from dry provisions store 
			 Dismissal and six months detention Stopwatch and attempted theft 
			 150 days detention Three cyalume sticks, dive suit, and sundries 
			 Three years and six months imprisonment Palm computer, two digital cameras, tom tom sat nav 
			 Three years and six months imprisonment Palm computer, two digital cameras, tom tom sat nav 
			 Two years and six months imprisonment Palm computer, two digital cameras, tom tom sat nav 
			  2008-32 Guilty/proven verdicts  
			 Dismissal, fined £1,000 and pay suspended to the amount of £41.51 Saw kit, digital camera, an electric engraving tool, hammer drills and eight piece plumbers holesaw kit. 
			 Admonished Helmet mounted night vision system 
			 120 days detention and Reduced in rank 940 litres of fuel 
			 60 days detention 940 litres of fuel 
			 Dismissal, 12 months detention and Reduced in rank Ammunition and pyrotechnics 
			 Fined £75 Night vision goggles 
			 Reduced in rank and pay suspended to the amount of £62.21 60 litres of fuel 
			 Reduced in rank and pay suspended to the amounts of £575.70 and £93.99 Watches 
			 Dismissal and seven months and 16 days detention Money 
			 120 days detention, suspended for one year and Reduced in rank Ammunition 
			 Dismissal, 150 days dismissal and Reduced in rank DVD player 
			 90 days detention and Reduced in rank Taking a vehicle without consent 
			 28 days detention and compensation of £750 paid Aggravated vehicle taking resulting in an accident 
			 Dismissal, 15 years imprisonment and Reduced in rank Weapons and accessories 
			 Fined £750 Blank rounds 
			 Dismissal and 109 days detention Blank rounds 
			 Dismissal and five years and six months imprisonment Weapons 
			 Nine months' detention Ammunition 
			 Six months detention and Reduced in rank Night vision goggles 
			 Police caution Ration packs 
			 Police caution Ration packs 
			 Police caution Ration packs 
			 Police caution Ration packs 
			 Police caution Ration packs 
			 12 months imprisonment Body armour, footwear, clothing and ration packs 
			 12 months imprisonment Body armour, footwear, clothing and ration packs 
			 16 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months +200 hours community order Body armour, footwear, clothing and ration packs 
			 Fined £500, £400 costs and £15 victim surcharge Computer parts 
			 52 weeks imprisonment suspended for two years, 250 silver unpaid work within 12 months. Three military flares, one smoke grenade, canteen cutlery, cleaning flannelette, military batteries, ten thousand rounds of 22 calibre rifle ammunition 
			 26 weeks imprisonment suspended for two years, 250 hours unpaid work within 12 months. Ammunition 
			 12 weeks imprisonment suspended over two years, 250 hours community service and £1,000 costs. Ammunition

Defence Medical Services: Inverness

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much Defence Medical Services spent in Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency in each of the last five years.

Kevan Jones: Defence Medical Services expenditure in the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency is centred on the Army Primary Healthcare Services (APHCS) Medical Centre at Fort George, home to the 3 Scots Regiment.
	APHCS expenditure on the medical centre for the previous three financial years is provided as follows. These exclude costs in such areas as infrastructure and utilities (as well as some staff), which are the responsibility of regimental and other MOD internal budgets. As a result of departmental reorganisations, costs for previous years are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £000 
			  FY  Material and treatment costs  Staff capitation costs  Total APHCS costs 
			 2007-08 51 145 196 
			 2008-09 91 148 239 
			 2009-10 (to 17 December 2009) 57 150 207 
		
	
	Armed forces personnel requiring medical treatment that cannot be provided by the primary care medical centre will either receive it at military-run facilities outside the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey constituency centres, or for the majority of secondary care, at local NHS hospitals, such as the Raigmore acute general hospital in Inverness.

Departmental Legislation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criminal offences have been  (a) created and  (b) abolished by secondary legislation sponsored by his Department since 1 May 2008.

Bob Ainsworth: Since 1 May 2008, the Ministry of Defence has created two new criminal offences through secondary legislation. They are the offence of absconding by persons on bail, and the offence of agreeing to indemnify sureties, contained in articles 10 and 14 of each of SI2009/991-The Armed Forces (Conditional Release from Custody) Order 2009, and SI2009/992-The Court Martial Appeal Court (Bail) Order 2009.
	No offences were abolished during this period.

Departmental Legislation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what criminal offences have been  (a) abolished and  (b) created by primary legislation sponsored by his Department since 1 May 2008.

Bob Ainsworth: Since 1 May 2008, the Ministry of Defence has not sponsored any primary legislation, and so has neither abolished nor created any criminal offences by Act of Parliament in this period.

EU Defence Policy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether his Department plans to increase the number of its  (a) military personnel and  (b) civilian staff attached to (i) the EU military staff and (ii) the European Defence Agency;
	(2)  how many UK  (a) military personnel and  (b) civilian staff were attached to (i) EU military staff, (ii) the European Defence Agency, (iii) the EU Military Committee and (iv) other EU institutions in each month since May 2008.

Bob Ainsworth: The numbers of military personnel and MOD civilians attached to the EU Military Staff, the European Defence Agency, the EU Military Committee, and other EU institutions since May 2008 are shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  European Defence Agency 
			   Civilian  Military 
			 May 2008 3 2 
			 June 2008 3 2 
			 July 2008 3 2 
			 August 2008 4 2 
			 September 2008 4 2 
			 October 2008 4 3 
			 November 2008 4 3 
			 December 2008 4 3 
			 January 2009 4 3 
			 February 2009 4 3 
			 March 2009 4 3 
			 April 2009 4 3 
			 May 2009 4 3 
			 June 2009 3 3 
			 July 2009 3 3 
			 August 2009 3 3 
			 September 2009 3 2 
			 October 2009 3 2 
			 November 2009 3 2 
			 December 2009 3 2 
		
	
	
		
			  EU Military Staff 
			   Military 
			 May 2008 18 
			 June 2008 18 
			 July 2008 18 
			 August 2008 18 
			 September 2008 18 
			 October 2008 18 
			 November 2008 18 
			 December 2008 18 
			 January 2009 19 
			 February 2009 19 
			 March 2009 19 
			 April 2009 19 
			 May 2009 19 
			 June 2009 19 
			 July 2009 20 
			 August 2009 20 
			 September 2009 20 
			 October 2009 20 
			 November 2009 20 
			 December 2009 20 
		
	
	No MOD civilian staff have been seconded to the EU Military Staff in any month since May 2008. We have no plans to increase the number of military personnel or civilian staff attached to either of these institutions.
	The European Military Committee is a regular meeting of the Chiefs of Defence Staff or their representatives from the EU member states, not a standing EU structure. There has been one British military officer seconded as the Military Adviser to the permanent Chairman of the EU Military Committee in every month since May 2008.
	In every month since May 2008 there has been one MOD civilian seconded to the European Council General Secretariat, one MOD civilian seconded to the European Commission, and one MOD civilian seconded to the European Global Navigation Satellite System Supervisory Authority.

Iraq: Detainees

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the US authorities on the  (a) legal status,  (b) detention conditions and  (c) prospects of trial or release of the two individuals detained by British forces in Iraq in 2004 and subsequently rendered to the Bagram Theatre Internment Facility in Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: The MOD maintains an ongoing dialogue with US authorities on a range of detention-related matters, including the two individuals the right hon. Gentleman referred to. The most recent contact of this nature occurred in mid-December 2009.

Iraq: Detainees

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons his Department has withheld the names of two individuals detained by British forces in Iraq in 2004 and subsequently rendered to the Bagram Theatre Internment Facility in Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: It is not for me to release personal data to third parties, therefore, I am withholding this information. The International Committee of the Red Cross has had regular access to these two individuals.

Iraq: Detainees

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent requests his Department has made for British officials to visit the two individuals detained by British forces in Iraq in 2004 and subsequently rendered to the Bagram Theatre Internment Facility in Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: No recent requests of this nature have been made.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his statement of 15 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 801-3, on future defence programmes, whether the procurement of the new Chinook helicopters will affect the funding currently allocated to the Future Medium Helicopter Capability programme.

Bill Rammell: As the Secretary of State for Defence's statement of 15 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 99-100WS, made clear, the Future Medium Helicopter competition has been cancelled. The funds that would otherwise have been used to procure a Future Medium Helicopter will be used to procure the additional Chinooks and fund other elements of the Rotary Wing Strategy.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the statement of 15 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 801-05, on future defence programme, and to the written ministerial statement of 15 December 2009,  Official Report, columns 99-100WS, on future rotary wing strategy, how many helicopters of each type are in service in each service; what the out-of-service dates of each type of helicopter are; and what the in-service dates and numbers are for new helicopters his Department expects to procure by 2020.

Bill Rammell: In service has been taken to mean the effective fleet, which includes all aircraft barring those that are redundant, declared as surplus or awaiting disposal.
	The number of effective aircraft within each helicopter type with each service, with accompanying planned out of service dates (OSD) as at 30 November 2009 is set out in the following tables.
	
		
			  Royal Navy 
			  Aircraft type/mark  MOD effective fleet  Current planned OSD  Comments 
			 Lynx Mk3 28 2017 (1)It is expected that these aircraft will be replaced by the maritime variant of Wildcat from 2015. 
			 Lynx Mk-8 33 2018 (1)- 
			 
			 Merlin Mk1 42 2029 We are currently preparing to upgrade 30 of these aircraft through the Merlin Mk1 Capability Sustainment Programme for which funding is approved. Further Mk 1 may be modified to deliver Airborne Search and Control capabilities subject to the Defence Review and investment approval. 
			 
			 Sea King Mk4 37 2016 Investment is required to achieve this OSD for which Main Gate approval is being sought in the next few months. 
			 
			 Sea King Mk6c 5 2010 - 
			 
			 Sea King Mk5 15 2016 The Search and Rescue capability provided by these aircraft will, subject to investment decision, be replaced by a joint PFI service with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. 
			 
			 Sea King Mk 7 13 2016 Investment is required to achieve this OSD for which Main Gate approval is being sought in the next few months. 
			 (1) Indicates brace 
		
	
	
		
			  Army 
			  Aircraft type/mark  MOD effective fleet  Current planned OSD  Comments 
			 Apache 67 2030 We expect to have to invest further in this aircraft (e.g. to address obsolescence and meet emerging requirements) during the next decade, in order to sustain its service life up to 2030. 
			 
			 Gazelle 39 2018 Gazelle currently provides a training capability in support of the British Army Training Unit in Canada (BATUS). We are currently exploring alternative arrangements to deliver a BATUS capability based on leased aircraft. 
			 
			 Lynx Mk7 66 2015 (1)It is expected that these aircraft will be replaced by the battlefield variant of Wildcat from 2014. 
			 Lynx Mk-9 22 2018 (1)- 
			 (1 )Indicates brace 
		
	
	
		
			  Royal Air Force 
			  Aircraft type/mark  MOD effective fleet  Current planned OSD  Comments 
			 Chinook Mk2 32 2040 (1)2 Mk 2 aircraft lost in current conflict reducing Mk2/2A fleet to 38. We expect to have to invest further in the next decade in the remaining aircraft to address obsolescence, to meet emerging requirements and to ensure they can achieve the planned OSD of 2040, although no investment decisions have yet been made. These figures exclude the eight Chinook Mk3 currently undergoing reversion. The first of these aircraft is already in service and it is expected that the remaining 7 Mk3 will be operational by the end of 2010. The OSD for these aircraft will be 2040. 
			 Chinook Mk2a 6 2040 (1)- 
			 
			 Merlin Mk3 22 2030 (1)We expect to have to invest further in this aircraft (e.g. to address obsolescence and meet emerging requirements) during the next decade, in order to sustain its service life up to 2030. 
			 Merlin Mk3a 6 2030 (1)- 
			 
			 Puma 34 2025 - 
			 
			 Sea King Mk3/3a 25 2016 The Search and Rescue capability provided by these aircraft will be replaced by a joint PFI service with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. 
			 (1) Indicates brace 
		
	
	These figures do not include aircraft leased by the MOD.
	The adoption of the Future Rotary Wing Strategy, announced by the Secretary of State for Defence on 15 December 2009,  Official Report, column 99WS, has resulted in a number of changes to our planning assumptions, although the only change to OSDs is for all marks of Sea King which will now retire in 2016 rather than 2018.
	We are procuring 22 additional Chinook by 2020, increasing the fleet size to 70 and subject to the Defence Review and individual investment approval the Merlin Mk3/3a fleet is due to switch from the Royal Air Force to the Royal Navy. Further Merlin Mk1 may potentially be modified to deliver Airborne Search and Control capabilities.

Military Bases: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) civilian staff and  (b) service staff were employed at Edinburgh Castle in each of the last 10 years.

Bill Rammell: The number of staff is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Civilian staff  Service staff 
			 2000 40 90 
			 2001 40 90 
			 2002 40 90 
			 2003 40 90 
			 2004 40 90 
			 2005 40 90 
			 2006 40 120 
			 2007 40 30 
			 2008 40 30 
			 2009 50 30 
			  Note: Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10 in accordance with statistical conventions. 
		
	
	The increase in the number of civilian staff in 2009 is primarily because of MOD Guard Service personnel replacing military personnel drawn from other stations.
	The increase in the number of service personnel in 2006 is primarily because of an uplift in military posts to augment HQ 52 Infantry Brigade (HQ 52 Infantry Brigade) for operational deployment. The reduction to 30 service staff in 2007 follows the deployment and then subsequent relocation of 52 Infantry Brigade to Redford Barracks, Edinburgh.

Military Bases: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the maintenance costs were for the military garrison at Edinburgh Castle for each of the last 10 years.

Bill Rammell: Building maintenance costs for the military garrison at Edinburgh Castle since October 2003 are shown in the following table. Information prior to October 2003 is not held.
	
		
			  Financial year  Cost (£) 
			 October 2003 to March 2004 60,490 
			 2004-05 152,939 
			 2005-06 147,328 
			 2006-07 109,586 
			 2007-08 80,390 
			 2008-09 307,662 
			 April to November 2009 119,030 
		
	
	These figures do not include running costs, such as cleaning or utilities, which could not be separately identified in the time available.

Military Bases: Scotland

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) civilian staff and  (b) service staff were employed at 2nd Division HQ at Craigiehall in each of the last 10 years.

Kevan Jones: Available data are shown in the following tables.
	Civilian staff numbers are only available centrally from 2005 and service numbers are only available centrally from 2002. Information prior to these dates could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Civilian staff numbers 
			 2006 120 
			 2007 120 
			 2008 120 
			 2009 120 
		
	
	
		
			   Service staff numbers 
			 2002 80 
			 2003 80 
			 2004 80 
			 2005 80 
			 2006 80 
			 2007 80 
			 2008 80 
			 2009 80 
		
	
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 in accordance with statistical conventions.

Navy: Military Aircraft

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Harrier GR9 aircraft are operated by the Naval Strike Wing; and how many are  (a) operational and  (b) in maintenance.

Bill Rammell: Naval Strike Wing routinely operates up to 12 aircraft from the Joint Force Harrier (JFH) Forward Available Fleet (FAF).
	The FAF comprises aircraft which are serviceable and those which are short-term unserviceable. Short term unserviceable aircraft are undergoing minor works, forward maintenance or any other unforeseen rectification work that can arise on a day-to-day basis. Serviceable aircraft available to the front-line commands for operational and training purposes are termed available. These statistics are only collated at fleet level and cannot be provided for individual units within JFH.
	The number of Harrier aircraft which are in the forward available fleet and available as at 18 December 2009 is provided in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Forward Available Fleet 44 
			 Available 42

Navy: Reserve Forces

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy reservists there were of each rank in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: The information requested is given in the following table. Records are not held prior to December 2003.
	
		
			   1 April 2009  1 April 2008  1 April 2007  1 April 2006  1 April 2005  1 April 2004  31 Dec 2003 
			  Officers
			 Untrained Strength 156 159 169 188 207 48 49 
			 Sub Lieutenant 13 20 19 32 21 29 25 
			 Lieutenant 247 259 247 238 243 278 287 
			 Lieutenant Commander 346 379 407 428 441 479 481 
			 Commander 86 88 86 84 73 68 70 
			 Captain 8 6 5 7 8 7 8 
			 Commodore 1 2 2 1 I 2 1 
			 
			  Ratings
			 Untrained Strength 361 314 305 331 444 345 364 
			 Able Seaman 2 26 34 53 91 86 62 59 
			 Able Seaman 1 241 281 285 294 310 349 357 
			 Leading Hand 159 170 195 223 249 282 287 
			 Petty Officer 188 205 229 272 290 314 324 
			 Chief Petty Officer 172 176 194 184 193 212 217 
			 Warrant Officer 17 13 12 13 2 01 01 
		
	
	The requirement for Royal Naval Reserve personnel is set by the Commander Maritime Reserves. The bearing against requirement for the years provided in the answer is:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2009 82 
			 2008 92 
			 2007 75 
			 2006 77 
			 2005 79 
			 2004 64 
			 2003 63 
			  Note: 1. Warrant officers were not part of the rank/rate structure of the Royal Naval Reserve until 2005.

Royal Fleet Auxiliary

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has plans to privatise the Royal Fleet Auxiliary; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: We are currently reviewing the Royal Fleet Auxiliary's business delivery model to establish if there is scope to enhance efficiencies and deliver greater value for money. The review will consider a number of alternative models. No conclusions have yet been reached.

SAR Chivenor

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the potential cost savings consequent on the proposed reduction of service at SAR Chivenor from 24 hours to 12 hours.

Quentin Davies: The future Search and Rescue Helicopter (SAR-H) service will use improved helicopters that will enable us to continue to meet our national and regional Search and Rescue requirements at night using only nine of the 12 bases.
	The SAR-H competition for the future UK service is ongoing. Potential cost savings from the reduction of operating hours from 24 hours to 12 (day-time only) have been estimated to be in the order of £60 million over the planned 25-year life of the service.

Somalia: Piracy

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the operational headquarters for Operation Atalanta will be based in 2010; who has command; what the command structure will be; how many naval assets by type will be involved; and from which navies.

Bill Rammell: Until the end of the current EU mandate in December 2010, the operational headquarters for Operation Atalanta will continue to be located at Northwood in Middlesex, commanded by a British two star military officer.
	The Political and Security Committee (PSC) exercises the political control and strategic direction of the EU military operation, under the responsibility of the Council of the European Union. The European Union Military Committee (EUMC) monitors the correct execution of the operation conducted under the responsibility of the Operation Commander. In theatre command is exercised by the Afloat Force Commander, reporting to the Operation Commander.
	Exact numbers and types of naval assets for 2010 have not yet been finalised, but offers of naval assets (including vital maritime patrol aircraft) have been received from a number of nations including the UK.
	More information on the naval assets currently assigned to Operation Atalanta can be found at the following link:
	http://www.consilium.europa.eu/showPage.aspx?id=1518lang=en

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Chief Information Officer

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on what pay band his Department's chief information officer (CIO) is employed; whether the CIO is employed on a fixed-term or permanent contract; and what the size is of the budget for which the CIO is responsible in the period 2009-10.

Diana Johnson: The role of chief information officer in the Department is filled on a permanent basis at SCS pay band 2.
	The budget for 2009-10 for which the CIO is responsible is £44 million.

Children: Social Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many care applications have been made in each month since November 2008.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	The table shows the number of care orders applied for in the family courts of England and Wales in each month between November 2008 and September 2009, the last month for which figures have been published.
	Statistics on public law applications are published on a quarterly basis by the Ministry of Justice in the statistical bulletin 'Court Statistics Quarterly' and annually in the command paper 'Judicial and Court Statistics'. Statistics for quarter 4 (October to December) of 2009 are due to be published in the next edition of Court Statistics Quarterly in March 2010, and will be available from the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/courtstatisticsquarterly.htm.
	
		
			  Care orders applied for in England and Wales, November 2008 to September 2009 
			  Month  Number of care order applications 
			  2008  
			 November 1,254 
			 December 1,488 
			   
			  2009  
			 January 1,305 
			 February 1,439 
			 March 1,674 
			 April 1,429 
			 May 1,402 
			 June 1,693 
			 July 1,460 
			 August 1,325 
			 September 1,507 
			  Notes: 1. The data are taken from the HMCS FamilyMan system and summary returns. 2. Figures relate to the number of children subject to applications. 3. Figures include applications made in all three tiers of court (County Court, High Court And Family Proceedings Court). 4. Research undertaken by the Ministry of Justice has identified that some cases that have transferred from the Family Proceedings Court to the County Court have been incorrectly recorded as new applications in the County Court, thus inflating the number of new applications (see Masson et al, 2008). Work is in train to improve the accuracy of County Court records. 5. The figures for 2009 are thought to include a degree of double counting of applications initially lodged in a County Court and then transferred to a Family Proceedings Court. This issue is being investigated by Ministry of Justice statisticians, which may lead to the figures being revised in future.

Children's Services: Essex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has for further intervention in relation to children's services in Essex.

Dawn Primarolo: On 15 December, Essex county council was issued with a statutory direction to improve children's services in Essex. It requires: the establishment of a new improvement board by the end of January 2010 and the appointment of an independent chair; the improvement board to approve an improvement plan drawn up by the council which must meet the targets and requirements set by the Secretary of State and agreed with the council; the chair to report, on a bi-monthly basis, to both the Secretary of State and the leader of the council; and the chair to report to the Secretary of State and leader of the council by early February 2010 on the most immediate priorities for action, and the capacity required to address them.

Christmas

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Christmas parties his Department plans to host in 2009; what has been budgeted for each such reception; what estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) lamb,  (b) beef,  (c) chicken,  (d) pork,  (e) turkey,  (f) other meats,  (g) vegetables,  (h) fruit and  (i) alcohol to be served at each such function which is produced in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: While each business area within the Department tends to have a Christmas function, these activities are paid for by the attendees. This Department does not pay for its officials or staff members to attend such functions. We do not collect information about the Christmas functions hosted or attended by officials or staff members in the Department and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Art Works

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on art works in the last 12 months.

Diana Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) financial systems does not hold information on the amount of spend incurred purely for art works. Therefore the information could be provided only at disproportionate costs.

Departmental Billing

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of invoices submitted to his Department have been paid within 10 days in each month since October 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: The Department's payment performance in relation to the 10-day target is reported to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) on a monthly basis. The Department's performance from 1 November 2008 to 28 October 2009 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of invoices paid  Percentage paid within 10 days 
			 November 2008 6,247 91.6 
			 December 6,618 90.1 
			
			 January 2009 6,753 91.8 
			 February 7,166 92.5 
			 March 10,531 93.2 
			 April 5,682 84.1 
			 May 6,258 92.0 
			 June 4,564 89.1 
			 July 6,928 94.5 
			 August 4,142 91.2 
			 September 5,009 91.8 
			 October 4,264 94,3

Departmental Legislation

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what criminal offences have been  (a) created and  (b) abolished by secondary legislation sponsored by his Department since 1 May 2008.

Diana Johnson: No criminal offences have been created or abolished by secondary legislation sponsored by the Department for Children, Schools and Families since 1 May 2008.

GCE A-level

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of pupils of each ethnic group who were  (a) eligible and  (b) not eligible for free school meals achieved three A grades at A level in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of pupils of each ethnic group who were  (a) eligible and  (b) not eligible for free school meals achieved an A grade in A-level further mathematics in each year since 1997.

Diana Johnson: Figures giving a breakdown of ethnicity by free school meal eligibility for the requested indicators cannot be provided due to the requirement to suppress small numbers to protect confidentiality.
	Figures for A level achievement by pupil characteristics only relate to qualifications taken in maintained schools, not independent schools, sixth form colleges (SFCs) or further education colleges and therefore numbers are low. Further disaggregation combining ethnicity and FSM eligibility gives figures that fall below the threshold for disclosure.

GCSE

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils in  (a) comprehensive and  (b) maintained schools did not obtain at least one GCSE at grade C or above, excluding equivalents, in 2009.

Diana Johnson: 95,056 pupils in comprehensive schools did not obtain a single GCSE at grade C or above excluding equivalents(1), according to provisional figures for 2009. This represents 18.3 per cent. of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in comprehensive schools.
	110,143 pupils in all maintained schools(2) did not obtain a single GCSE at grade C or above excluding equivalents in 2009. This represents 19.0 per cent. of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in all maintained schools.
	(1) Qualifications included are full GCSEs, GCSE double awards and GCSEs in applied subjects only.
	(2) Maintained schools include special schools but do not include hospital schools and pupil referral units.

Home Education

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether he has conducted an impact assessment of proposals for annual registration of home-educated children; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: An Impact Assessment of the proposals for a registration and monitoring scheme for home-educated children was published on 19 November 2009 on the Department's website:
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/childrenschoolsandfamiliesbill/
	alongside the Children, Schools and Families Bill.
	We will be revisiting the Home Education Impact Assessment over the coming weeks to take into account comments we have received from the DCSF Select Committee, the Local Government Association and others on the proposed costs and we will publish an updated version in the new year in line with the usual requirements for the passage of the Bill.

Home Education

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children have been recorded as harmed by their parents in the home-educated environment in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: The Department does not collect this information.

Immobilisation of Vehicles

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors have paid in vehicle clamping charges incurred on  (a) privately-owned and  (b) publicly-owned land in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: This Department does not pay for its officials or staff members vehicle clamping fines, parking fines, speeding fines and or similar.

Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with which private companies his Department has contracts involving work in Leeds West constituency; and what the  (a) monetary value and  (b) purpose is of each.

Diana Johnson: This could be answered only at disproportionate cost.

Members: Correspondence

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when the Minister for Children plans to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Totnes of 21 October 2009 on a proposed meeting with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Trafficking of Women and Children.

Diana Johnson: My ministerial colleague, the Minister for Children, Young People and Families (Dawn Primarolo), replied to the hon. Member for Totnes on 11 November 2009, agreeing to a meeting to discuss the important issues around human trafficking raised last year in a Westminster Hall adjournment debate on safeguarding children and young people from sexual exploitation.

Offenders

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many employees of his Department have been convicted of a criminal offence of each type in each year since 1997.

Diana Johnson: The Department requires employees to notify their manager immediately they are arrested and charged with a criminal offence. If the employee is convicted, the Department will investigate and start a disciplinary process which may lead to dismissal. New employees must declare convictions during the recruitment process. Records back to 1997 are not held electronically nor in the format requested and a comprehensive search of paper based files back to 1997 would result in disproportionate cost.

Ofsted: Complaints

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many complaints about Ofsted were referred to the Ombudsman in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many complaints about Ofsted which were referred to the Ombudsman in each of the last three years were subject to a full investigation.

Vernon Coaker: These are matters for the Parliamentary Ombudsman. The information requested is not held by the Department for Children Schools and Families or by Ofsted.

Primary Education: Class Sizes

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the revised School Admissions Code on infant class sizes; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: This revision to the School Admissions Code does not alter the duty on admission authorities to comply with the statutory limit on infant class sizes. In addition, the revision in itself will not create additional pressure on reception class places. Most local authorities admit children to reception classes in two phases in the September or January following their 4(th) birthday. Around 20 per cent. of local authorities also have a third 'summer' entry, where they admit pupils in April. Requiring admission authorities to provide for places for all children from the September following their 4(th) birthday will have the effect of bringing forward the start date of some entries to September but not increasing the size of the cohort overall in the year. Admission authorities will already be under a duty to comply with infant class size to accommodate those existing entries at later stages in the school year.

Pupils: Bullying

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to assist schools in dealing with incidents in schools of  (a) bullying between pupils and  (b) verbal and physical abuse of school staff by pupils.

Vernon Coaker: The DCSF has made it clear to schools that all forms of bullying, including those motivated by prejudice, should not be tolerated, In 2007 the DCSF published over-arching guidance-Safe to Learn: Embedding Anti-bullying Work in Schools, and we have added more tailored advice for schools covering all the equality strands: race, religion, sexual orientation and disability, gender and gender identity. We also produced guidance to schools on how to prevent and tackle cyberbullying of pupils and staff. Our cyberbullying guidance to schools makes it clear that bullying and harassment of pupils and staff online is unacceptable and provides advice and practical support to teachers on how to prevent and deal with harassment when it happens.
	The guidance gives staff the practical skills to feel confident challenging all forms of bullying and supporting young people who experience bullying. Alongside our guidance, we are funding the Anti-Bullying Alliance and the National Strategies to provide support and challenge to local authorities and schools to ensure they have effective strategies to prevent and tackle bullying. The DCSF has also given schools the legal power to regulate the conduct of their pupils in and outside of schools. We intend to introduce a new duty on maintained schools and short-stay schools in 2010 to record incidents of bullying between pupils, racist incidents and incidents of verbal and physical abuse against school staff.

Schools: Lancashire

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make an assessment of the likely effects on other schools and colleges in east Lancashire of the proposed establishment of the Mohiuddin International Girls' College; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: This is not an issue on which the Secretary of State can make an assessment. Local authorities are responsible for planning maintained school place provision in their area and the Learning and Skills Council is responsible for planning further education provision. It is, therefore, for them to consider what, if any, effect the proposed college might have.

Schools: Nottingham

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in Nottingham North constituency have been  (a) rebuilt and  (b) significantly refurbished since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: As part of the local authority's return to the 2007 and 2009 DCSF School Building Surveys, the following schools were reported to have benefited from investment in the Nottingham, North constituency since 1997:
	 New or  r ebuilt
	Rosslyn Park Primary and Nursery School
	Ambleside Primary School
	Southwark Primary School
	 Significantly refurbished
	Ellis Guilford Schools and Sports College
	Hadden Park High School (2002-03 project)
	River Leen School
	Westbury School
	Henry Whipple Primary School
	Robin Hood Primary School
	A further three schools have benefited from BSF investment to date.
	 New or rebuilt
	Bigwood School (phase 1)
	Oak Field School and Specialist Sports College
	 Significantly refurbished
	Hadden Park High School (phase 1)

Schools: Security

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the numbers of children  (a) kidnapped and  (b) harmed where inadequate school perimeter fencing was a contributory factor in the latest period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: The Department does not collect this information.

Secondary Education: Standards

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when his Department plans to publish the 2009 secondary school achievement and attainment tables.

Vernon Coaker: The 2009 secondary school achievement and attainment tables are planned to be published on 13 January 2010.

Special Educational Needs

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the position of screening tools and staff training in relation to young people with special educational needs and communication difficulties in custody announced on 10 November 2009 will be provided for all staff in youth justice settings.

Vernon Coaker: A hidden disability questionnaire has been developed by Dyslexia Action and is currently being rolled out in Prison Service young offender institutions. However, we are supporting the Communication Trust-as announced on 10 November 2009 during the debate on the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill-to develop and tailor screening tools and training appropriate for staff who work with young offenders in wider youth custody settings and to staff in youth offending teams. We are currently working with the Communications Trust to develop and agree plans and time scales for delivering this.

Travelling people: Computers

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) of 29 October 2009,  Official Report, column 615W, on travelling people: computers, 
	(1)  how many laptops given to Travellers have  (a) been reported as lost or stolen and  (b) not been recovered; and what steps are taken (i) to recover such laptops and (ii) in circumstances in which the laptops are not returned;
	(2)  whether parents are permitted to use the laptops loaned to their children.

Diana Johnson: Since the last answer on 29 October 2009, there have been no reports of laptops being lost or stolen or not recovered. All laptops are tagged by the local authority based Traveller Education Support Service who own them, so could be traced. Laptops are also insured against accidental damage or loss. The circumstances relating to a laptop not returned to the Service would be investigated and every effort would be made to recover it. Finally, to promote family learning, greater parental engagement in education and to improve parental literacy skills, parents are encouraged to use the laptops loaned to their children and are given training alongside their children in the safe and appropriate use of the internet.

Vetting

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he next plans to review the requirements for Criminal Records Bureau disclosures; and whether he has  (a) set a timetable for that review and  (b) plans to appoint a lead reviewer in respect of that review.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement by the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on 14 December 2009,  Official Report, column 50WS, about the publication of Sir Roger Singleton's report 'Drawing the Line' on the vetting and barring scheme (VBS), and the Government's response to Sir Roger's report, both of which are in the House Library.
	The Government's response to recommendation 10 of the report makes clear our intention to review the requirements and the advice in relation to Criminal Records Bureau Disclosures once the VBS is in place, and to take forward the review in the new year.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater London

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department has issued any advice or guidance to the NHS in the London North Central planning region on the provision of accident and emergency facilities in that region; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: None.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Standards

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time in accident and emergency departments in hospitals in  (a) England and  (b) Milton Keynes was in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: Information on waiting times in accident and emergency (A and E) facilities is collected by the Department for its Quarterly Monitoring of A and E (QMAE) dataset. Trusts do not submit information on average waiting times, but they do submit information on time spent from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge in hourly time bands. This information for  (a) type 1 (major) A and E departments in England and  (b) Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have been placed in the Library. Data have been provided from quarter 3 2002-03 onwards, as this is the first quarter in which QMAE data based on full data returns were published.
	An alternative source of information on time spent within A and E departments is available from the A and E Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data, which are collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care.
	A and E HES data indicate that the median time spent between arrival and departure in all types of A and E departments in England in 2007-08 was 112 minutes. A and E HES data are only available for 2007-08 and are not available for Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust individually. 2007-08 A and E HES data cannot be reliably split by type of A and E, therefore the reported median waiting time figure is for all types of A and E.

Accidents: Dogs

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged  (a) under 10,  (b) between 10 and 18 and  (c) over 18 years of age were admitted to accident and emergency departments in each hospital trust in England under the external cause code of W54 as a result of an attack by a dog in 2008-09.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the format requested. A table showing a count of the number (admission episodes) admitted to hospital via accident and emergency departments for hospital providers in England, with a cause code of W54 (bitten or struck by dog) has been placed in the Library. This information has been provided by the following age groups: under 10, between 10 and 18 and over 18, for the financial year 2008-09.

Autism

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to consult on his Department's adult autism strategy prior to its publication.

Phil Hope: From the outset, the development of the autism strategy for adults has been underpinned by the two principles of co-production and inclusivity. The public consultation on the strategy was designed to ensure that people with autistic spectrum condition, their families and carers could identify the barriers to access and their key priorities for change in public services.
	The consultation which included regional events, on-line discussion forums and targeted engagement, aimed at hard-to-reach groups, received over 1,000 responses. These responses will set the direction of travel for the autism strategy.
	The strategy will continue to benefit from the work of its external reference group comprising service users, family carers and the voluntary sector providers as well as professionals who design, develop and provide services.
	There will be a further national consultation on the health and social care guidance, mandated by the legislation, which will accompany the strategy and is scheduled for publication in December 2012. We are equally committed to involving service users, carers and the voluntary sector in the production of the guidance.

Autism

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the implementation plan for his Department's adult autism strategy will be published at the same time as that strategy.

Phil Hope: Yes, we will be publishing a delivery plan alongside the strategy.

Autism: Research

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2009,  Official Report, column 549W, on autism: health services, if he will commission research from autism spectrum experts into cerebral inhibition soothing behaviours and the compromised capacity of persons who are autistic.

Phil Hope: The Department has no plans to commission research into cerebral inhibitions soothing behaviours and the compromised capacity of persons who are autistic.

Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the full text of the Statutory Warning Notice issued by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to Basildon and Thurrock Foundation Trust on 20 October 2009; and if he will place in the Library a copy of  (a) the trust's letter to CQC on 17 November 2009,  (b) the minutes of the formal escalation meeting of 20 November 2009 attended by Monitor and  (c) Monitor's letter to the trust of 23 November 2009 and the trust's response of 24 November 2009.

Mike O'Brien: The Care Quality Commission has published a report of its inspection of Basildon and Thurrock Foundation Trust on 8 October 2009, which led to the issue of a statutory warning notice on 20 October 2009. The inspection report includes the findings and recommendations set out in the warning notice. The report was published on 4 November 2009, and can be found on the Commission's website at:
	http://2009ratings.cqc.org.uk/findcareservices/informationabouthealthcareservices/overallperformance/searchfororganisation.cfm?faArea1=customWidgets.trustsaftey questions_show_1cit_id=RDDquestion=HCAI
	The Care Quality Commission has informed the Department that it did not receive a letter from Basildon and Thurrock Foundation Trust on 17 November 2009. However, the trust did write to Monitor on this date. The chairman of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of the NHS foundation trusts), has provided copies of the letters my hon. Friend requested dated 17 November 2009, 23 November 2009, which serves as a minute of the formal escalation meeting of 20 November and 24 November. Copies have been placed in the Library.

Care Homes: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to page 110 of the 2009 Pre-Budget Report,  (a) what current variations in spend on residential care are; how £250 million of savings will be achieved by reducing such variations; how much of these savings will be achieved in each financial year; and what these savings will be spent on.

Phil Hope: Our publication, Use of Resources in Adult Social Care-A Guide for Local Authorities, shows that there are significant variations in the proportion of funding that authorities spend on residential care provision. This runs against our ambitions for a more personalised social care system including greater support for people in their own homes. For example, spend in 2007-08 on residential care for:
	older people varied from up to 70 per cent. and as low as 30 per cent. of older peoples' spend;
	those adults with learning disability needs varied from below 10 per cent. to over 80 per cent. of learning disability spend; and
	those adults with a physical or sensory impairment and those with a mental health need varied from as low as 10 per cent. to over 60 per cent. of spend.
	The pre-Budget report announcement that local authorities need to make £250 million efficiency savings by 2012-13 from reducing variations in residential care spend will be achieved by supporting more people to live in their own homes. Through our Care Services Efficiency and Delivery programme, we will continue to support local authorities in helping more people to live in their own homes. Our programme will continue to focus on the way in which local authorities commission services that help people remain in their own homes. These include a strong focus on the use of new technologies, including telecare, a greater focus on prevention and joint working between health and social care and the creation of better housing solutions through more supported living services. This will help to reduce the high current variations in residential care spend.
	In the Queen's speech, Government announced a further £420 million to provide free personal care for people with the highest needs to live at home. The free personal care offer is a major part of how we will achieve a reduction in these variations.
	The pre-Budget report announcement, that authorities need to make £250 million efficiency savings by 2012-13, did not stipulate how much of these savings will need to be achieved in each financial year. It is therefore down to each local authority in conjunction with local stakeholders to deliver a fair and fiscally sustainable social care system to address these efficiency targets.
	These savings will remain with local authorities and can be used to meet the growing pressures on social care budgets due to demographic changes and to support their contribution to providing free personal home care for those with the highest need.
	The research used to calculate this figure is in Use of Resources in Adult Social Care-A Guide for Local Authorities, which was published in October 2009. It is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_107596
	A copy of the document, showing the graphs and the national variations, has been placed in the Library. This information can also be accessed via the new NHS Information Centre NASCIS website at:
	http://nascis.ic.nhs.uk

Contraceptives: Health Education

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health at what cost to the public purse his Department's campaign on contraception, launched on 30 November 2009 was developed; what funding his Department plans to provide to support the campaign in the financial years  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12; and by what mechanisms his Department plans to evaluate the effectiveness of that campaign.

Gillian Merron: Estimated advertising expenditure to date on the 'Contraception. Worth Talking About' campaign is £1,218,000. Estimated advertising costs for further activity planned for February 2010 are approximately £1,513,000. Budgets for 2010-11 and 2011-12 are currently under review and therefore no amounts have yet been allocated to campaign work.
	A framework for evaluating the campaign is being developed to measure its effectiveness both to meet long-term objectives (reducing teenage pregnancy rates) and shorter-term changes in attitude and behaviour (which should in turn impact on the longer-term objectives). The evaluation is expected to be based on econometric modelling.

Contraceptives: Health Education

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on levels of demand for NHS contraceptive services of his Department's campaign on contraception, launched on 30 November 2009; what assessment he has made of the capacity of each primary care trust to fit long-acting reversible contraceptives; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department of Health has allocated significant additional funds to primary care trusts (PCTs) to help them to improve access to the full range of contraception in their local areas, as well as providing further additional funds to strategic health authorities to help them to work with PCTs to tackle high rates of teenage conceptions. The Department has assisted PCTs to plan for any changes in demand arising from the 'Contraception. Worth Talking About' campaign.

Contraceptives: Health Education

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health through which media his Department's contraception campaign will be delivered; which  (a) contraception methods will be publicised and  (b) groups will be targeted through each medium; what methodology was used to determine which medium to use in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Contraception. Worth Talking About campaign will be delivered via television, radio, print and digital advertisements, with other print, radio and digital public relation activity. The Department uses a communications planning agency to advise on the media to use to reach our target audiences.
	The primary audience for the campaign is women aged 16-25, with secondary audiences being parents and health care professionals. These audiences are targeted in all the media used for the campaign. The primary message of the campaign is to promote an awareness of contraceptive choices and to encourage people, especially young people and their parents, to have a more open discussions about contraception and to talk to a doctor or nurse to determine the best contraceptive for their individual circumstances.

Contraceptives: Health Education

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports his Department  (a) commissioned and  (b) produced for the purposes the development of his Department's campaign on contraception, launched on 30 November 2009; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each such report; if he will place in the Library a copy of the research which shows there is a lack of knowledge and misinformation, which hinders safer sexual behaviour, referred to in his Department's press release of 30 November 2009; and what the (i) title and (ii) target group is in respect of each phase of his Department's campaign.

Gillian Merron: The Contraception. Worth Talking About campaign was informed by a review of sexual health marketing and communications which produced a report-Teenage Pregnancy and Sexual Health Marketing. The Department also commissioned qualitative research on women's knowledge and perception of contraception. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	The Department's press release of 30 November referred to data gathered from a polling exercise undertaken between 16 and 20 October, and a copy of the results of this work has been placed in the Library.
	Contraception. Worth talking About is aimed primarily at women aged 16 to 25. The first burst of activity took place between 30 November and 21 December 2009, and a second burst will take place in February/March 2010. Chlamydia. Worth Talking About is aimed at young people aged 16 to 24, and will launch in January 2010.

Departmental Conferences

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by his Department and its agencies on conferences they organised which were subsequently cancelled in each of the last three years; and what the title was of each such conference.

Phil Hope: Costs of conference services are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All expenditure on conference and banqueting services has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of managing public money and the Treasury handbook on regularity and propriety.

Departmental Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement has made to the Waterfront Partnership in the last 12 months; for what purpose; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract under which such payments have been made.

Mike O'Brien: The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement tell us they have had a rolling three-month contract with Freshwater Public Affairs, formerly The Waterfront Partnership, which began in May 2009. Up to and including November 2009, the NHS Institute has paid Freshwater Public Affairs £42,000. This contract sits alongside the NHS Institute's overall contract for communications and public relations support with Freshwater UK.
	Given the commercially sensitive nature of the content of the contract, it is not intended to place a full copy of this information in the Library but the NHS Institute is willing to discuss the contract with the hon. Member.

Derriford Hospital: Surgery

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full minimally invasive oesophagectomies have been carried out at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth in each month from August to December 2009.

Mike O'Brien: This information is not collected centrally.

Disabled: Social Security Benefits

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the results of each model  (a) prepared and  (b) commissioned by his Department on (i) removal of and (ii) changes to attendance allowance and disability living allowance.

Phil Hope: The Department has commissioned modelling of funding options for care and support from the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU). This includes consideration of integration of some disability benefits with the care and support system. The methods used in the modelling were published in a technical report on the PSSRU's website in July at:
	www.pssru.ac.uk.
	Interim results from the modelling are not being released at this time for a number of reasons. The interim results were not based upon the latest policy assumptions, reflecting, for example, what people have been telling us in the consultation, and the Prime Minister's announcement on free personal care. We have concluded that to release the interim results could be unhelpful and misleading.
	The PSSRU continue to model the funding options for care and support based on revised assumptions. We intend to publish more details of this work this year. In the meantime, the whole methodology of the interim report was published on the PSSRU's website in July. The top-level costs and benefits are in the impact assessment published with the Green Paper and available on the Big Care Debate website.

Disabled: Social Security Benefits

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether changes have been made to the financial assumptions underpinning the Government's financial modelling for a national care service consequent on the announcement of the policy that there will be no cash losers among existing disability benefit recipients.

Phil Hope: As we said in the Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Care Together, if we reform disability benefits, anyone receiving an affected benefit at the time of the reform would continue to receive the equivalent level of support and protection.
	Our working assumption in the financial modelling has therefore consistently been that nobody would experience a cash loss as a result of the reforms.

Drugs: Prisons

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Integrated Drug Treatment System in the prison and criminal justice system;
	(2)  how many prisoners have received enhanced prison clinical drug treatment.

Phil Hope: An Independent evaluation of the Integrated Drug Treatment System has been commissioned by the Department. The independent evaluation began in 2008 and is timetabled to be completed in 2011.
	In 2008-09, 64,767 prisoners received clinical drug treatment. Of these, 45,135 were on a detoxification programme and 19,632 were on a maintenance prescribing programme.

Drugs: Prisons

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prisoners received a  (a) detoxification and  (b) prescribing service under the Integrated Drug Treatment System in the last two years.

Phil Hope: In 2007-08, a total of 58,809 prisoners received a clinical drug intervention. Of these, 46,291 received detoxification and 12,518 a maintenance prescription for opioid dependency.
	In 2008-09, a total of 64,767 prisoners received a clinical drug intervention. Of these 45,135 received detoxification and 19,632 received a maintenance prescription for opioid dependency.
	All clinical interventions for drug treatment, whether for detoxification or maintenance purposes, are delivered as part of the integrated drug treatment system and in line with the latest clinical guidelines.

Drugs: Prisons

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on drug treatment in prisons distributed through  (a) the National Offender Management Service and  (b) primary care trusts in the last 12 months.

Phil Hope: In 2009-10, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) allocated £42.5 million for the delivery of drug interventions in prisons. This includes funding for accredited drug treatment programmes, CARATs (counselling, assessment, referral, advice and throughcare services) and compact based drug testing.
	In the same year, the Department invested £210 million in the provision of health care services to offenders, including funding for clinical drug treatments. The Department allocates funding to primary care trusts (PCTs) via strategic health authorities, on the basis of the relative needs of their populations.
	In the last 12 months, the Department has additionally allocated £39.5 million to NHS PCTs for the targeted implementation of the integrated drug treatment system.

General Practitioners: Nottingham

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner surgeries in Nottingham North constituency offer extended opening hours.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
	In July 2009, the Department collected data on the number of general practitioner (GP) practices offering extended opening hours at primary care trust (PCT) level. At this time, Nottingham City PCT had 42, out of 61, GP practices offering extended opening hours.

Health Services

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what projects in the NHS involve use of customer journey mapping to improve services;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of use of customer journey mapping to improve services in the NHS.

Mike O'Brien: The Department is supportive of local organisations and frontline staff using customer journey mapping and has worked with Cabinet Office to develop a tool kit for frontline staff. The Department recognises that focusing on user experience is a key way in driving efficiencies in the system and releasing further savings. Better understanding of our customers is a key tool for accelerating quality improvements across the national health service. The toolkits for customer journey mapping (and customer segmentation and customer satisfaction) are freely available and published on the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/public_service_reform/innovation/resources.aspx
	The Department does not collect centrally any data regarding the number of NHS initiatives which employ the technique nor do we have a system for evaluating individual projects. The toolkits do stress the importance of evaluation and provide methods for doing so.

Health Services: Isle of Man

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2009, to question 300313, how much the Isle of Man government has paid for elective health service treatments of each kind provided under the agreement with his Department in each of the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: The Isle of Man does not pay for elective treatment under the current reciprocal healthcare agreement. The following table shows elective treatment, commissioned by the Isle of Man, outside of that agreement, over the past six years. The allocation of funding provided by the United Kingdom to the Isle of Man under the current bilateral agreement is also shown.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Contracted trust  2009-10  2008-09  2007-08  2006-07  2005-06  2004-05 
			 Aintree 540,000.00 - - - - - 
			 Alder Hey 612,000.00 605,000.00 491,000.00 501,000.00 884,000.00 626,000.00 
			 Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology 1,044,000.00 1,016,000.00 800,000.00 780,000.00 834,000.00 792,000.00 
			 Leeds Teaching 91,843.00 - - - -  
			 Liverpool Heart and Chest 2,184,000.00 2,057,000.00 1,449,000.00 1,110,000.00 1,023,000.00 969,000.00 
			 Liverpool Women's 252,000.00 - - - - - 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen 1,692,000.00 1,887,000.00 1,178,000.00 853,000.00 836,000.00 550,000.00 
			 Southport and Ormskirk 83,000.00 92,000.00 98,000.00 109,000.00 146,000.00 - 
			 Walton Centre 444,000.00 389,000.00 367,000.00 350,000.00 251,000.00 238,000.00 
			 Wrightington Wigan and Leigh 516,000.00 - - - - - 
			
			  Non contracted activity   
			 All trusts 623,157.00 1,919,000.00 1,417,000.00 1,219,000.00 970,000.00 512,000.00 
			 Total spend 8,082,000.00 7,965,000.00 5,800,000.00 4,922,000.00 4,944,000.00 3,687,000.00 
			 Department of Health Reciprocal agreement funding 2,862,000.00 2,787,000.00 2,650,000.00 2,500,000.00 3,000,000.00 3,000,000.00 
			 Net spend (total minus Department of Health funding) 5,220,000.00 5,178,000.00 3,150,000.00 2,422,000.00 1,944,000.00 687,000.00

Home Care Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what invitations he has made to members of Opposition parties since his appointment offering the opportunity to work consensually on the reform of social care.

Phil Hope: None. The Secretary of State has spoken many times of the need for a national consensus on reform of social care, and remains open to positive approaches.

Home Care Services: Pay

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the pay of people who work in social care.

Phil Hope: It is for local employers to determine the level of pay for the adult social care work force. We know that low pay can be a concern for some in the social care sector. But, because the Government do not directly employ these workers, we need to work with local authorities to ensure that the providers they work with have a high quality work force, with fair terms and conditions.

Local Authority Social Services Act 1970

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance issued under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 is in force.

Phil Hope: Successive Secretaries of State have issued many items of guidance under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 during the last 40 years. It would incur disproportionate cost to retrieve and examine departmental records for the entire period and extract copies of all extant items.

Maternity Services: Obesity

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department issues guidance to NHS hospitals on the admission of overweight women to maternity units.

Ann Keen: The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued guidance to the national health service on improving nutrition of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and children in low-income households, in March 2008. This guidance is appropriate to all women irrespective of their income. This guidance recommends that obese women should be encouraged to lose weight before and after pregnancy through a structured and tailored programme that combines advice on healthy eating and physical exercise with ongoing support to allow for sustained lifestyle changes. During pregnancy, women should have the support of a dietician for assessment and advice on healthy eating and regular exercise.
	Local trusts have local protocols to support the management of obese pregnant women that take account of the need of these women, and the facilities and services available to them. Arrangements through maternity and neonatal networks support these mothers and their babies.

Medical Research

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much funding was allocated by his Department for medical research in England and Wales in each of the last three years; and how much of such funding was spent in Wales;
	(2)  how much of the funding allocated to medical research by his Department in England and Wales in each of the last three years was deemed to be of lower priority; and how much such lower priority funding was spent in Wales.

Gillian Merron: The funding information available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Department of Health research funding 
			  £ million 
			   NHS Research and Development (R and D)  NHS R and D funding spent in Wales 
			 2006-07 659 2 
			 2007-08 730 1.7 
			 2008-09 792 2.7 
		
	
	The Welsh administration separately funds health research in Wales.
	The health research system in England is one which the available funds are allocated following open and rigorous competition in support of high quality research focused on the needs of patients and the national health service.

Medical Treatments: Advertising

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many websites have been asked to remove advertisements for botulinum toxin, fillers and other non-surgical cosmetic procedures under the Medicines (Advertising) Regulations 1994.

Mike O'Brien: The Medicines (Advertising) Regulations 1994 prohibit the advertising of prescription only medicines, including botulinum toxin products, to the public. These regulations are enforced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Fillers and cosmetic procedures are not covered by these regulations since they are not classified as medicines.
	In 2009 to date, 189 advertisers have amended promotional materials relating to botulinum toxin products following MHRA action on complaints received. This includes 134 cases where the material reviewed consisted only of website information. Corresponding figures for the number of advertisers who amended their advertising for botulinum toxin products in 2006, 2007 and 2008 were 47, 125 and 75, respectively.

Mental Health Services: Leeds

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Leeds social services spent on mental health services in each year since 2001.

Phil Hope: Data on local authority commissioned adult social care mental health expenditure is collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.
	The following table shows the total gross current expenditure by Leeds local authority (LA) on mental health services for adults aged 18 to 64 years of age, since 2001, in both cash and real terms (where the figures are adjusted for inflation).
	This is information that is derived from data collected annually on social services expenditure by local authorities with social services responsibilities.
	Expenditure on mental health services for those aged 65 and over is not separately available as it is included in expenditure on older people.
	
		
			  Leeds LA 
			   Gross current expenditure-Cash terms (£000) 
			 2008-09(1) 18,631 
			 2007-08 17,170 
			 2006-07 16,074 
			 2005-06 16,015 
			 2004-05 14,450 
			 2003-04 12,895 
			 2002-03 12,607 
			 2001-02 10,506 
			 2000-01 7,161 
		
	
	
		
			   Gross current expenditure-Real terms (£000) 
			 2008-09(1) 18,631 
			 2007-08 17,591 
			 2006-07 16,944 
			 2005-06 17,381 
			 2004-05 15,976 
			 2003-04 14,653 
			 2002-03 14,729 
			 2001-02 12,670 
			 2000-01 8,829 
			 (1) Data for 2008-09 is provisional  Source: PSS Exl

Mentally Incapacitated

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 December 2009,  Official Report, column 550W, on the Mental Capacity Act 2005, how his Department monitors the use of the power under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 to modify a situation pertaining to someone with disability in order to maximise their individual capacity; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Monitoring of compliance with the Mental Capacity Act 2005 is part of the work of the independent regulator of health and social care, the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
	The CQC has published guidance, 'Guidance for CQC staff and providers of registered care and treatment services-The Mental Capacity Act deprivation of liberty safeguards', which explains how the Mental Capacity Act affects the way regulated care, treatment and support services take decisions and provide care for people who cannot take some decisions for themselves.

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Health Services

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will update the musculoskeletal services framework to incorporate the recommendations of the National Audit Offices report, Services for People with rheumatoid arthritis.

Ann Keen: The Department has no plans to update the musculoskeletal services framework to incorporate the recommendations of the National Audit Office's report, Services for People with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
	The Department welcomes the National Audit Office's report into national health service provision of services for people with rheumatoid arthritis. The Government are committed to improving care and outcomes for all people with long term conditions, including people with rheumatoid arthritis.
	For example, the Department has published a good practice commissioning pathway for inflammatory arthritis which supports clinicians in identifying cases of rheumatoid arthritis and ensuring that they are set on the right pathway of care. This describes key symptoms, for example where patients should be referred for urgent treatment.
	The pathway is also aimed at supporting local implementation of good practice, to improve efficiency, reduce delays, and improve quality of service provision in a safe and effective way.
	The Department has also published Your health, your way-a guide to long term
	conditions and self care which provides people living with long term conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, with information about the choices that should be available to them locally to enable them to self care in partnership with health and social care professionals. The guide can be found on the NHS Choices website at:
	www.nhs.uk/Planners/Yourhealth/Pages/Yourhealth.aspx

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Health Services

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve the collection of outcomes data on musculoskeletal services.

Ann Keen: The Department has approved funding for three new national clinical audits that will collect data on falls and bone health in older people; hip fractures; and pain. These important new national audits, which have relevance for people with musculoskeletal conditions, were announced by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership in September 2009.

NHS: Essex

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the statement of 30 November 2009,  Official Report, column 855, on hospital trusts: Essex, 
	(1)  what the expected future role is of the tier of clinical leadership replaced by the new clinical leadership; what the cost of the former clinical leadership will be in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the acceptable timescale is considered to be for the Basildon and Thurrock Foundation Trust to deliver the improvements necessary in care standards; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the agreed clinical and nursing changes are that the programme delivery office will use as benchmarks.

Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has asked the chairman of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) to write to my hon. Friend and he will do so shortly. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

NHS: Essex

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the statement of 30 November 2009,  Official Report, column 855, on hospital trusts: Essex, what regular updates on progress he plans to provide to the House on improving care standards; how often he will provide them; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: As I stated in the House on 30 November, I will provide updates on the improvements at Basildon and Thurrock University NHS Foundation Trust as soon as I am updated by Monitor.
	Monitor has indicated to me that its board will review the trust's progress every month and it will explicitly consider, and then take, whatever action is necessary to ensure that performance at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust improves on a sustainable and measurable basis.

NHS: Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much funding was allocated in respect of patients with social care and healthcare needs who are part-funded by the NHS and the local authority in each primary care trust area in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many patients with social care and healthcare needs have been part-funded by the NHS and the local authority in each primary care trust area in each of the last three years.

Phil Hope: The Department does not hold information on the amount of funding allocated for, or the amount of funding spent on, social care and health care services that are part funded by the national health service and local authorities (LAs).
	LAs pay for social care services from their general funds, which they receive via a combination of Formula Grant from central Government and local taxation. Funding allocations from central Government to LAs are not ring-fenced; LAs are free to determine spending priorities locally to meet the needs of their populations.
	Revenue allocations are made directly to primary care trusts (PCTs). Similarly, it is for PCTs to decide their priorities for investment locally, taking into account both local priorities and the NHS Operating Framework.
	Arrangements for the part-funding of social care and health care services are determined at a local level. The information requested may be available locally from individual LAs and PCTs.

NHS: Gloucester

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS  (a) doctors and  (b) nurses are employed in Gloucester; and what the equivalent figures were in 1997.

Ann Keen: The information is not held in the format requested.
	The number of national health service hospital and community health services staff in Gloucester for each specified staff group in each specified organisation as at 30 September 2002 to 30 September 2008, is given in the following table.
	
		
			  National health service hospital and community health services (HCHS): NHS staff in each specified staff group in each specified organisation as at 30 September each year 
			  Headcount 
			  Total specified organisations  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 Medical and dental staff(1) 540 588 662 712 740 711 782 
			 General Practitioners (GPs) 419 430 436 452 445 437 449 
			 HCHS qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 2,877 3,086 3,180 3,336 3,212 3,311 3,507 
			 GP practice nurses 237 237 237 273 299 296 316 
			 
			  Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
			 Medical and dental staff1 497 542 613 658 685 673 725 
			 HCHS qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 1,928 2,152 2,163 2,300 2,231 2,320 2,407 
			 Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust (PCT)(2)
			 Medical and dental staff(1) 43 46 49 54 55 38 57 
			 GPs 419 430 436 452 445 437 449 
			 HCHS qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 949 934 1,017 1,036 981 991 1,100 
			 GP practice nurses 237 237 237 273 299 296 316 
			 (1) Excludes medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals have been excluded to avoid double counting. (2) Gloucestershire PCT was formed in October 2006 from a complete merger of Cheltenham and Tewkesbury PCT, Cotswold and Vale PCT, and West Gloucestershire PCT. Figures from 2002-06 are an aggregate of these predecessor organisations. Due to the high number of Trust mergers and the formation of PCTs in 2002 it is impossible to accurately map figures for these organisations prior to 2002. GPs and GP practice nurses are only employed by PCTs.  Sources: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census.

NHS: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to recall any of the advance given to BT for work on the implementation of Cerner Millennium in the South of England as part of the efficiency savings to be made from the National Programme for IT.

Mike O'Brien: A payment was made earlier this year to BT as working capital to aid with infrastructure, planning and development work in advance of the deployment of systems and services. This is in line with Treasury rules, and in return for a reduction in payments to be earned for future successful delivery. There are no current plans to seek reimbursement of this payment.

NHS: Information and Communications Technology

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Pre-Budget Report, Cm 7747, what the  (a) initial budget and  (b) outturn was in respect of (i) revenue and (ii) capital expenditure for (A) the National Programme for IT and (B) each element of the National Programme for IT in each year since the inception of the programme; and how much (1) capital and (2) revenue funding has been allocated for each remaining year of the programme.

Mike O'Brien: Comprehensive information in the form requested is not available. This is because the overall cost of the national programme for information technology (NPfTT) includes both central costs, and the costs managed by local national health service bodies incurred in implementing the systems, for example in training staff and upgrading computer hardware. Local information is not routinely collected in a way that differentiates expenditure on the IT programme from other local TT-related expenditure.
	Within the Department, NHS Connecting for Health, which came into being in April 2005, is responsible both for central expenditure necessary for ensuring delivery of the IT systems under the national programme, and for maintaining the critical business systems previously provided to the national health service by the former NHS Information Authority. NHS Connecting for Health does not prepare annual whole-programme budgets for NPfTT activity separate from those for its wider responsibilities as this would involve the unnecessary apportionment of common management, administrative and support costs. For the same reason, separate outturn figures are not routinely reported for management information purposes.
	Information covering all NHS Connecting for Health's responsibilities is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Initial Budget 
			  £ million 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Capital 1,198 1,055 915 917.0 800.0 
			 Revenue 799 638 607 631.3 580.00 
		
	
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Actual expenditure  Forecast Outturn 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Capital 360.0 429.0 589.0 686.0 535.1 562.6 
			 Revenue 260.0 539.0 528.0 507.0 528.4 573.8 
			  Notes: 1. All sums exclude capital charges. 2. The amounts include the original costs of NPfTT contracts, which have not changed, but also include new and additional requirements that have been added, supported by separate business cases and funding, as reported by the National Audit Office. 3. Expenditure plans for years beyond 2009-10 are currently being reviewed in the light of announcements made in the pre-Budget report, and of the evolving IT needs of the NHS.

NHS: Information and Communications Technology

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on deployment of Lorenzo and Cerner Millennium in each early adopter site for the National Programme for IT.

Mike O'Brien: Lorenzo release 1.0 is currently being used for radiology requests and results by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust in its general surgery and urology wards, and for the same purpose by Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where, since December 2009, the clinical documentation functionality has also been implemented. South Birmingham Primary Care Trust (PCT) has a number of podiatrists using the system, working in eight different physical locations across the PCT.
	In October 2009, Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust went live with clinical documentation in rheumatology, and Five Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust went live across their Halton, Wigan, St. Helens, Warrington and Knowsley sites. In December 2009, Stockport PCT was the sixth trust to begin using the Lorenzo system.
	The next software release (release 1.9) extends functionality for all patient administration and clinical care management activities. Bury PCT went live with release 1.9 at the beginning of November 2009 and staff are now regularly using the system to manage case notes, view detailed patient records, and administer care activities.
	In London there have been five Cerner Millennium deployments, at Barnet and Chase Farm, Queen Mary's Sidcup, Barts and the London, the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trusts, and since November 2009, at Kingston Hospital NHS Trust. In addition, the London Programme is managing two other sites at Homerton and Newham which were installed systems outside the National Programme, bringing the total Cerner Millennium sites in the capital to seven.
	In the south, eight health communities have to date gone live with the system. Each health community typically comprises an acute Trust and the associated PCT sites in its area. The relevant acute trusts are Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust; Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust; Weston Area Health NHS Trust; Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust; Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust; Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust; Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust; and Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust.

NHS: Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of maintaining NHS websites was in the last year for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: The cost for maintaining national health service websites that are run. by individual NHS organisations are not held centrally by the Department and cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.

NHS: North West

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the salary is of the  (a) chief executive and  (b) chair of each (i) hospital and (ii) primary care trust in the North West.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally. The remuneration of board level non executive and executive directors is a matter of public record and published in the annual accounts of national health service organisation.

Northampton Hospital: Waiting Lists

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had been waiting for operations at Northampton General Hospital for  (a) between three and six months,  (b) between six and 12 months,  (c) between one and two years and  (d) over two years in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2009.

Phil Hope: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
	In-patient waiting list figures for Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust are shown in the following table.
	
		
			Patient waiting by time waited at period end 
			  Period  Total patients waiting for admission  3-6 months  6-12 months  12-24 months  24+ months 
			 March 1997 5,796 1,444 1,207 219 0 
			 March 2009 3,516 116 0 0 0 
			 October 2009 3,707 123 0 0 0 
			  Source: Department of Health KH07 and MMR returns from NHS trusts

Nutrition Action Plan Delivery Board

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2009,  Official Report, column 162W, on the Nutrition Action Plan Delivery Board, whether the publication of the report of the Nutrition Action Plan Delivery Board is contingent on the Government's response to its recommendations;
	(2)  when he plans to publish the final report of the Nutrition Action Plan Delivery Board.

Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 9 November 2009,  Official Report, column 128W.

Obesity: Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes there have been for  (a) paediatric and  (b) adolescent obesity treatment in (i) England and (ii) each strategic health authority in each year since 1997.

Gillian Merron: This information has been placed in the Library.

Social Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2009,  Official Report, column 165W, on social services, for what reason publication of the interim report of the Personal Social Services Research Unit is considered unhelpful; and what discussions he has had with external stakeholders on the effect of publication of the interim report on their engagement with the Big Care Debate.

Phil Hope: The interim results from the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) were not based upon the latest policy assumptions, reflecting, for example, what people have been telling us in the consultation, and the Prime Minister's announcement on free personal care. We have therefore concluded that to release the interim results could be unhelpful and misleading.
	The PSSRU continue to model the funding options for care and support based on revised assumptions. We intend to publish more details of this work next year. In the meantime, the whole methodology of the interim report was published on the PSSRU's website in July at:
	www.pssru.ac.uk
	The top-level costs and benefits are in the impact assessment published with the Green Paper and available on the Big Care Debate website.

Social Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which month of 2010 he plans to publish his Department's White Paper on the future of social care.

Phil Hope: We consulted on the Green Paper Shaping the Future of Care Together between 14 July and 13 November 2009 and received more than 29,000 formal consultation responses. Many thousands more people participated in the debate through stakeholders, who have told us that they obtained input from over 24,000 people in preparing their responses. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation.
	These responses will feed into a White Paper, to be published early this year.

Social Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Big Care Debate events have been held since the publication of the Green Paper on Shaping the Future of Care Together; in which constituencies such events have been held; and which hon. Members  (a) have been invited to attend and  (b) are recorded as having attended such events.

Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper), on 15 December 2009,  Official Report, column 1058-59W.

Townlands Hospital

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department has had with Oxfordshire primary care trust on Townlands hospital in Henley-on-Thames in the last 12 months.

Phil Hope: The Department has not had any discussions with Oxfordshire primary care trust about Townlands hospital in the last 12 months.